(A) The director of agriculture, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, may adopt rules for the governance and administration of exhibitions, and to provide for related food safety and the health, safety, and welfare of livestock, and may adopt by reference rules adopted by other public or private agencies such as the Ohio farm animal care commission. Rules of the director may specify those grooming, commercial, or medical practices that are generally accepted within the community of persons exhibiting livestock and may specify false, deceptive, misleading, unethical, or unprofessional practices that constitute grounds for disciplinary action under section 901.74 of the Revised Code.

(B) Rules of the director that apply to exhibition-related food safety and the health, safety, and welfare of livestock shall apply to every exhibition operated within this state and to every sponsor. A sponsor may exempt itself from any other rules adopted by the director under this section that do not apply to food safety or the health, safety, or welfare of livestock, including, without limitation, rules for the governance and administration of exhibitions, by, not later than thirty days before the commencement of its exhibition, filing with the director, on a form prescribed and provided by the director, a list of the rules that shall not apply to its exhibition.

(C) The director may provide mediation, dispute resolution, and arbitration services in any dispute involving an alleged violation of a rule adopted under division (A) of this section from which the sponsor could have exempted itself under division (B) of this section, but chose not to.

(D) Nothing in this section or in sections 901.73 or 901.74 of the Revised Code precludes any sponsor from doing any of the following:

(1) Adopting rules or written policies for the governance and administration of its own exhibition, including, without limitation the adoption of any rule by reference to a rule adopted by other public or private agencies;

(2) Adopting rules or written policies providing for appeals regarding alleged violations of rules or written policies adopted by the sponsor;

(3) Taking any disciplinary action established in the rules or written policies adopted by the sponsor in connection with violations of the sponsor's rules or written policies for the governance and administration of its exhibition. Any such disciplinary action taken by a sponsor in regard to its own exhibition is in addition to any disciplinary action taken by the director under section 901.74 of the Revised Code.

(4) Establishing by rule or written policy criteria and procedures for the reinstatement of any person disqualified from participation in the sponsor's exhibition by a disciplinary action taken by the sponsor and for deciding requests for reinstatement submitted under those rules.

Effective Date: 06-14-1995