Leadership

OMA PAC Announces Endorsements

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association Political Action Committee this week announced legislative candidate endorsements in eight contested primary House contests.

“We are endorsing some impressive candidates with good knowledge of the importance of protecting and growing Ohio manufacturing,” said OMA President Eric Burkland.

Additional endorsements will be made later in the year. Meanwhile, we wish the best to this OMA slate of endorsed candidates! 4/11/2018

Early Voting Begins in Ohio

Early voting for the May 8 primary election began this week in Ohio.

Get information about early voting in person, or get an absentee ballot from the Secretary of State. 4/10/2018

Autonomous Vehicle Hearings Continue

The House Transportation Committee this week continued its study of autonomous and connected vehicles and related policy considerations. This week the focus was on insurance.

Committee members heard from two national insurance trade associations and from three individual insurers: Nationwide, State Farm and Munich Reinsurance. Not surprisingly the chorus of insurers called for safety policies and clarification of liability issues.

Nationwide detailed the need for insurers to have access to data collected by new systems that will be needed to calculate risk.

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America advised the state to “establish new, distinct financial responsibility requirements for the manufacturers of autonomous driving systems.”

The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies addressed recent safety setbacks associated with autonomous vehicles and discussed the work going on to develop standards for Automated Driving Systems. 4/11/2018

2018 Ohio Business Matchmaker

This year’s Ohio Business Matchmaker is scheduled for May 1^st and 2^nd in Dayton.

The program connects small businesses to government contracting opportunities. This event offers an opportunity for businesses interested in doing business with the federal, state or local government to meet with representatives to market and sell their goods and services.

Find out more here. 4/10/2018

Issue 1 on Primary Ballot Reforms Process for Drawing Congressional Districts

On May 8, Ohio will hold its primary elections. Ohioans will have the opportunity to vote for or against Issue 1, a constitutional amendment which would change the way in which Ohio’s congressional districts are drawn.

The proposed amendment would end the current partisan process for drawing congressional districts by a simple majority vote of the General Assembly. This amendment requires a map be adopted with significant bipartisan support, with the goals of keeping local communities together and having district boundaries that are more compact. If bipartisan support cannot be obtained, strict anti-gerrymandering criteria would apply when adopting a congressional map.

See more about Issue 1 here. 3/29/2018

Register by April 9 to Vote in Primary Elections

In Ohio, you must register or update your voter registration no later than 30 days prior to an election.

Register to vote by April 9, 2018 for the May 8, 2018 Primary and for the Special Congressional Primary (12^th Congressional District) Election.

The special 12^th Congressional District primary election is necessary as the seat was vacated by U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi (R–Ohio) on January 15. The 12^th district consists of parts of Franklin, Marion, Richland and Muskingum counties and all of Delaware, Licking and Morrow counties.

Your can register to vote or update your voter registration information here. 3/29/2018

Toward a New Ohio

This week two researchers at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs of The Ohio State University released a study looking at trends in the Ohio economy and its workforce. The study is a must-read for anyone interested in Ohio economic policy.

The report, “Toward a New Ohio,” aims to “help inform the gubernatorial candidates and Ohio voters on important policy choices and decisions that lie ahead. The papers provide historical context for Ohio’s current economic performance, examine concerns regarding future growth and identify key questions facing the next governor.”

The study suggests that “four areas deserve more attention from the gubernatorial candidates:

1. Stimulate the creation of new jobs in industry clusters that have the potential both to diversify the state’s economy and exploit its competitive advantages;
2. Align the needs of Ohio employers with the skills of Ohio workers, particularly in the mid-level skill range, and streamline education and training programs;
3. Address the unique challenges of Ohio workers and Ohio communities that have been unable to adapt to and compete in the modern economy; and

Engage allies and develop effective political coalitions to shape federal policies that impact Ohio.” 3/29/2018

Federal R&D Funding Opportunities

The Federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are the nation’s largest source of early stage / high risk R&D funding for small business and researchers.

Phase 1 awards are typically $150,000 over six months, and Phase 2 awards are up to $1M spanning a time frame of two years.

This upcoming workshop on Wednesday, April 11 in Dayton will help businesses and researchers learn more about these opportunities. 3/28/2018

EX-IM Bank Offers Annual Conference

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) offers its 2018 Annual Conference on April 19^th and 20^th in Washington, DC.

It features a combination of keynote remarks, plenary sessions, and interactive breakout sessions focused on empowering U.S. companies to win more sales abroad. The conference typically attracts around 1,000 participants from around the world.

You can learn about it here. 3/29/2018

Opening Day and Ohio

“The first opening-day ceremonial pitch likely has Ohio origins. Ohio Gov. William McKinley is believed to have been the first politician to throw out a first pitch, in an 1892 game between Columbus and Toledo. The first presidential first pitch is believed to have come from President William Howard Taft (another Ohio connection) before a 1910 Opening Day game between the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics,” writes Matt Koppitch in the Columbus Dispatch yesterday (Opening Day).

Matt is an attorney at OMA counsel Bricker & Eckler, does legislative work for the OMA, and aspires to be the baseball commissioner. 3/29/2018