Welcome to Fair Season and the 162nd Ohio State Fair!

Fair season is once again upon us and it is important to keep in mind where your fair passes are coming from. A pass to a county or to the Ohio State Fair is a thing of value. While an individual pass from a lobbying source might not exceed $25, attending multiple days or accepting multiple passes from a single source might, and therefore trigger disclosure requirements.

The value of a fair pass provided to a legislator/staff’s spouse or family member is attributable to the legislator/staff, if the spouse or family member is receiving the ticket because he or she is the spouse or family member of the legislator/staff. In this circumstance, the amount of the ticket for the spouse or family member must be added to the amount, if any, of the ticket provided to the legislator/staff.

Any fair pass received from a lobbyist or employer of a lobbyist, exceeding $25 in value, will appear on either the May-Aug 2015 or Sept-Dec 2015 Activity and Expenditure Report, depending on the date of the event. If you file a Financial Disclosure Statement these tickets may be reportable on your 2015 filing. Legislators/staff members are prohibited from accepting more than $75 in gifts, aggregated per calendar year, from a lobbyist.

Safe travels and enjoy the Maple Bacon Ice Cream & Deep-fried Gummy Bears!