Leadership

State Issue 1 – Congressional Redistricting – Explained (video)

Ohio Issue 1, the Congressional Redistricting Procedures Amendment, is on the ballot in Ohio as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on May 8, 2018.

• A “yes” vote supports changing the vote requirements to pass congressional redistricting maps and the standards used in congressional redistricting in Ohio.
• A “no” vote opposes new congressional redistricting procedures and standards, thus allowing the Ohio General Assembly to continue adopting congressional redistricting plans through a simple majority vote.

Here’s a good video from the Secretary of State about the implications of Issue 1. 5/3/2018

OMA’s 2018 Food & Beverage Manufacturers/Suppliers Forum is June 5

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association’s 2018 Food & Beverage Manufacturers/Suppliers FORUM is Tuesday, June 5, 2018.

The agenda will cover current legislative, regulatory and economic development issues that affect the food & beverage industry and Ohio facilities. Subject matter experts and leading public officials will present, including Ohio Dept. of Agriculture Director, David T. Daniels.

The forum will be held at The Athletic Club in downtown Columbus. Registration opens at 11:30 a.m., followed by a working lunch and afternoon sessions. A networking reception will follow the meeting.

This year’s meeting co-chairs are Michael Madriaga, Senior Manager, Government Relations, The J. M. Smucker Company, and Jennifer Sweeney, Senior Manager – State Government Affairs and Political Programs, Campbell Soup Company.

More details here. Register here. 5/1/2018

OMA Supports Container Legislation

This week Reps. George Lang (R-West Chester Township) and Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) introduced House Bill 625, which would prohibit a local government from imposing a tax or a fee on auxiliary containers, such as a paper or plastic bag or foam container.

This legislation is a companion to the previously introduced Senate Bill 210. The OMA supports both pieces of legislation.

In testimony prepared for Senate Bill 210 OMA wrote, “But when local jurisdictions enact restrictions on product content, or on labeling of products, or on taxing of certain products, it makes it very difficult for compliance in today’s global economy. As such the OMA routinely advocates to mitigate locally-imposed restrictions or taxes. In many cases these types of regulations are most appropriately adopted at the federal government level so as to not disadvantage businesses in one state over businesses in another state.” 5/3/2018

Ohio Ranked 10th Best for Business

Chief Executive magazine released its 2018 rankings of the best and worst states for business this week. Ohio ranked 10^th best overall for business, an improvement of one place from 2017.

Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Indiana made up the top five.

California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey and Connecticut were at the bottom. 5/3/2018

Ohio 15th Most Fun State

The website WalletHub used 26 indicators to determine the “most fun” states. Ohio is the 15^th “most fun.”

The “most fun” state? California. The “least fun” state? West Virginia. 5/3/2018

In Memoriam: Dick Brown, The Jones Metal Products Co.

Richard “Dick” H. Brown, age 80, of Coshocton, passed away on April 23, 2018. Dick retired in 2002 from The Jones Metal Products Company in West Lafayette where he was president and CEO of the company.

Dick served on The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association board of directors for 12 years and was named to Governor Taft’s Ohio State Task Force Board.

He contributed civility, charm and humor as well as critical business insights in his many years on the OMA’s all-volunteer board. He was a favorite among staff for his genuine warmth. Rest in peace, Dick. 4/25/2018

Speaker Vote Set for May 16

The House Republican Caucus will be choosing a new House speaker to replace Cliff Rosenburger who stepped down amid controversy. The vote will be held during a Tuesday, May 15 caucus meeting. The full chamber is scheduled to vote on the speaker during its Wednesday, May 16 meeting. 04/26/2018

Make Ohio Home (video)

JobsOhio is excited to share its new video highlighting the great state of Ohio, home to a favorable business climate, a skilled and abundant workforce, unparalleled access to customers and suppliers, and a collaborative research and innovation network.

See for yourself what Ohio has to offer. 4/24/2018

Protect Your Infrastructure from Russian Hackers

The U.S. and U.K. governments put out an unusual joint Technical Alert regarding state-sponsored Russian hacking targeting network infrastructure devices.

The purpose of the alert is “to inform network device vendors, ISPs, public-sector organizations, private-sector corporations, and small office home office (SOHO) customers about the Russian government campaign, provide information to identify malicious activity, and reduce exposure to this activity.”

Read the alert. 4/17/2018

Speaker Rosenberger Resigns

On Tuesday evening, Ohio Speaker of the House Cliff Rosenberger announced he would step down as Speaker and resign his seat effective May 1. The announcement comes as a surprise amid news and blog reports that the Speaker is being questioned by the FBI and has hired defense counsel.

In his statement, Speaker Rosenberger said “As I have said previously, I am aware of a federal inquiry being conducted regarding things I may have been involved in. First and foremost, I believe that all of my actions as speaker have been both ethical and lawful. However, I understand that the nature of this inquiry has the potential to be very demanding and intensive, and could take months or even years to resolve. Meanwhile, there are many important issues facing our state that deserve careful consideration and review, and Ohioans deserve elected leaders who are able to devote their full and undivided attention to these matters. I believe the institution of the Ohio House of Representatives is far more important than one person.”

The members of the Republican caucus will need to elect a new Speaker to preside over the Chamber. Until they do so, Speaker Pro Tem Kirk Schuring will maintain leadership responsibilities. 4/11/2018