Regards federal mineral royalty payments

As Introduced

136th
General Assembly

Regular
Session
H. B. No. 522

2025-2026

Representatives Ritter, Bird

To
amend section 1503.35 and to enact section 131.52 of the Revised Code

regarding
federal mineral royalty payments.

BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section
1.
That
section 1503.35 be amended and section 131.52 of the Revised Code be
enacted to read as follows:

Sec.
131.52.
(A)
As used in this section:

(1)
"Federal mineral royalty" means the state of Ohio's share
of payments received under 30 U.S.C. 191 from oil, gas, or other
mineral production on federal lands within this state, including
national forest system lands.

(2)
"County of origin" means the county where a wellhead or
mine is located to which a federal mineral royalty is attributable.

(B)
The treasurer of state shall deposit all federal mineral royalties
received from the United States department of the interior's office
of natural resources revenue into the federal mineral royalty
clearing fund, which is hereby established and shall be in the
custody of the treasurer of state but shall not be part of the state
treasury. Within thirty days after each deposit, the director of the
office of budget and management shall transfer from the fund to each
county of origin an amount equal to the royalty payments attributable
to that county.

(C)
Money received by a county under division (B) of this section may be
appropriated by the board of county commissioners solely for one of
the following purposes:

(1)
Planning;

(2)
Construction and maintenance of public facilities;

(3)
Provision of public services.

Sec.
1503.35.
The

(A)
Except as provided in division (B) of this section, the
director
of natural resources shall distribute money received by the state
pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 500 from the sale of national forest timber and
other national forest products to the applicable county or counties
in which the national forest is situated. Money received by a county
under this section shall be used by a county as follows:

(A)
(1)

Fifty per cent shall be used to maintain county roads and bridges;

(B)
(2)

Fifty per cent shall be used for the benefit of public schools.

(B)
A federal mineral royalty, as defined in section 131.52 of the
Revised Code, is not a forest product subject to distribution under
this section. Any federal mineral royalty received by the state shall
be deposited in accordance with that section.

Section
2.
That
existing section 1503.35 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.