Leadership

Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016

On May 11, President Obama signed a new law that creates a federal cause of action for misappropriation of trade secrets.  The Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA) places trade secrets on more even footing with other types of intellectual property, including copyrights, patents, and trademarks, and allows trade secret owners to seek redress in federal court for violations of their rights, without having to prove a separate basis for jurisdiction.  The DTSA is an important leap forward for businesses seeking to protect their proprietary information.

Read more from OMA Connections Partner, Roetzel.

OMA Files Brief on Prescription Drug Ballot Issue

This week, the OMA filed a brief in the ongoing Ohio Supreme Court litigation challenging the unlawful and potentially fraudulent signature collection and petition circulation efforts of an initiated statute purportedly filed to lower the price of prescription drugs.

For years, the OMA has fought these sorts of special interest groups and their mostly out of state signature collection companies who routinely violate Ohio law during the process of collecting signatures to put something on an election ballot.  The current legal action, filed along with the Ohio Chamber and the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), challenges the egregious signature collection methods on the current initiated statute and hopefully clarifies Ohio law for future ballot drives – if you want to try to change the Ohio Constitution or our laws, you have to follow the law and play by the rules.

The Ohio Supreme Court is expected to reach a decision in the case sometime this summer.

What will be the Impact of Brexit on Your Company?

OMA Connections Partners are already providing content about the potential impacts of the separation of Great Britain from the European Union (Brexit).

Here is an article from Dinsmore about the impact on intellectual property, patents, trademarks & designs.

Clark, Schaefer, Hackett is offering a webinar on July 12: Understanding the Impact of Brexit Vote.

U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Moves Good Labeling Bill

Last week, the Senate Agriculture Committee announced a deal to establish a national labeling standard for foods with genetically modified ingredients.

Grocery Manufacturers Association president and CEO Pamela Bailey said, “This bipartisan agreement ensures consumers across the nation can get clear, consistent information about their food and beverage ingredients and prevents a patchwork of confusing and costly state labeling laws.”

Senator Sherrod Brown and Senator Rob Portman were both helpful in supporting this deal.

OMA has been a proponent of a national labeling standard, and will sign onto Coalition for Safe & Affordable Food Coalition letter to Senate leadership to urge a rapid affirmative floor vote.

OMA-PAC Endorses Ohio Supreme Court Candidates

When it met this week, the OMA-PAC board of directors voted to endorse three candidates for the Supreme Court of Ohio in the November 2016 General Election: incumbent Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who is running unopposed, Appeals Court Judge Pat DeWine, and Appeals Court Judge Pat Fischer.

“The court can have a tremendous impact on the business climate in Ohio, and these highly qualified judges are the best candidates for Ohio’s manufacturers and businesses.  Each candidate is committed to upholding the Constitution and strictly interpreting the law, not legislating from the bench.  Ohioans have a right to have laws applied as they were written for a predictable system of justice,” said OMA-PAC Chairman, Scott Balogh, President & CEO, Mar-Bal, Inc

Read more here.

OMA Staff Presents Volunteer Service Award to Brad Belden

During the OMA board of directors meeting this week, Ryan Augsburger, OMA Vice President and Managing Director, Public Policy Services, presented the OMA’s Babington Award to Brad Belden, Vice President, Administrative Services, The Belden Brick Company.

The OMA’s Babington Award is a staff award presented to members who go above and beyond in their volunteer service to Ohio manufacturing.

Brad has gone out of his way to learn the intricacies of Ohio’s energy landscape and volunteers untold hours as the chairman of both the OMA Energy Committee and the OMA Energy Group.  Augsburger said, “Brad has a natural talent to communicate industry concerns and opportunities.”

OMA Board Presents Legacy Awards

Pictured: John Seryak, Bill Sopko, Chairman, OMA board of directors, and Dr. Ned Hill.

The OMA Legacy Award is presented by the OMA board of directors to individuals who have significantly supported Ohio manufacturing.

At its meeting this week, the OMA board presented Legacy Awards to two outstanding experts who have been invaluable in supporting OMA’s energy issue advocacy.

John Seryak, PE, CEO,Go Sustainable Energy, LLC, is OMA’s energy engineering consultant.  John is a leading Ohio expert in energy efficiency and energy technologies.  He often is called upon to provide expertise to OMA’s energy policy formation.  He also manages OMA’s Energy Efficiency Peer Network which supports plant engineers and maintenance staff in energy management technologies.

Dr. Edward (Ned) Hill, Professor, Public Affairs & City & Regional Planning, The Ohio State University, John Glenn College, is the state’s foremost economist and has supported OMA policy formation on multiple issues for numerous years.  He has recently provided critical expertise to developing OMA’s energy policy.

Show Us Your Sticker!

Order “Freedom Jobs Manufacturing” stickers for your employees at the OMA’s 2016 Election Center, where you’ll find this and all sorts of no-charge tools to support your company’s get-out-the-vote efforts.

What Recent Swing State Polling Says about Ohioans

The Quinnipiac Swing State Poll focuses on Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania because since 1960 no candidate has won the presidential race without taking at least two of these three states.

The poll results released this week show:

• Gender, age and racial gaps mark the Ohio U.S. Senate race. Portman leads 46 – 37 percent among men, 48 – 36 percent among white voters and 51 – 34 percent among voters over 65 years old.
• Strickland leads 46 – 39 percent among women, 69 – 15 percent among non-white voters and 46 – 27 percent among voters 18 to 34 years old.

Ohio women are moving to Clinton in greater numbers, from 43 – 36 percent over Trump May 10 to 48 – 31 percent today. There is little change in Trump’s support among men, 51 – 36 percent in May and 49 – 32 percent today. He leads 76 – 6 percent among Republicans and 41 – 32 percent among independent voters, while Democrats back Clinton 80 – 9 percent.

Attention News Junkies!

Can you never get enough news?  We have just the thing.  OMA Daily News Clips!

Every day we clip stories from Ohio and national news sources, compile them into a quick-scan digest, and deliver them to your inbox by 8:45 a.m.

If you like keeping up on news that affects manufacturing competitiveness – elections & campaigns, economic development, energy & environment, politics, and more, subscribe to OMA Daily News Clips right here.  It’s a benefit of your OMA membership!