Welcome to Fair Season and the 160th Ohio State Fair!

Fair season is once again upon us and it is important to keep in mind where your tickets are coming from. All tickets to a county or state fair have value. While an individual ticket from a lobbying source might not exceed $25, attending multiple days or accepting multiple tickets from a single source might, and therefore trigger disclosure requirements.

The value of a ticket 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 tickets received from a lobbyist or employer of a lobbyist, exceeding $25 in value, will appear on either the May-Aug 2013 or Sep-Dec 2013 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 2013 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!