News and Analysis
Rubber Meeting Road on Used Tire Bill?
March 31, 2017Members of the Ohio Senate Local Government, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee heard proponent testimony this week on Senate Bill 68, which revises Ohio’s deceptive trade practices act to strengthen civil and criminal penalties related to the installation of unsafe used tires. Companion legislation (House Bill 42) is being heard in the House.
The legislation, jointly sponsored by Senators Frank LaRose (R–Hudson) and Cliff Hite (R–Findlay), is supported by rubber and tire manufacturers.
Here is the proponent testimony OMA offered. 3/30/2017
OMA Opposes “Ohio Drug Price Relief Act”
March 24, 2017This week the OMA board of directors voted to oppose the “Ohio Drug Price Relief Act,” an initiated statute that will appear on the November 2017 general election ballot. If passed, the State of Ohio would be prohibited from entering any agreement for prescription drugs unless the net cost is the same or lower than the lowest price paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Services.
Experts who have studied the issue say it would be difficult if not impossible to implement.
The proposal is backed by the AIDS Health Care Foundation, a Los Angeles-based organization headed by controversial activist Michael Weinstein.
In its statement opposing the measure, the OMA wrote: “As manufacturers, we are concerned with any plan to impose artificial price controls on products. The OMA is concerned that price controls would not stop with medication but would apply to other products purchased by government.”
And, “The Ohio ballot issue is a near copy of an initiative on the California statewide ballot in November 2016. The initiative’s flawed design earned the opposition of every major California newspaper and was defeated by voters.” 3/22/2017
OMA Board Elects New Directors
March 24, 2017At its meeting this week the OMA board of directors voted to elect five new directors. They are:
- Brian Benyo, Co-Owner & Co-Principal Executive Manager, Brilex Industries, Inc., Berlin Center
- Jeff Oravitz, Vice President, PPG Coatings Services & President, MetoKote Corporation, Lima
- Paul Whitfield, Chief Operating Officer, American Trim, Sidney
- Scott King, Vice President and General Manager, Gorman-Rupp Pumps USA, Mansfield
- Steve Staub, President, Staub Manufacturing Solutions, Dayton
In addition, Billy Vickers, President & CEO, MAI-GLA, Dublin, was appointed to the board’s nominating & governance committee. 3/22/2017
A Manufacturer’s Plea for Bipartisan Help on Taxes, Regulation
March 17, 2017” … U.S. manufacturing could do even more – and lift up more people – if policymakers can break through their partisan logjam and make progress on the issues that matter. For manufacturers, action cannot come soon enough on infrastructure investment, regulatory streamlining and comprehensive tax reform,” wrote Doug Bailey, vice president of industry affairs for OMA member Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc., in a letter to the editor in the March 10, 2017 issue of Columbus Business First.
Read the full letter here (see bottom, page 2). 3/10/2017
Ohio House Republicans Document Their Priorities
March 17, 2017Speaker of the Ohio House Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) has unveiled the “Buckeye Pathway,” a document outlining the major policy priorities for the House Republican Caucus for the 132nd General Assembly.
Covering topics ranging from infrastructure to curbing the state’s opioid and heroin addiction epidemic, the Buckeye Pathway focuses on three overarching goals that are intended to guide lawmakers when introducing legislation:
- Improving Ohio’s economic environment
- Enhancing opportunities for all Ohioans
- Strengthening families and communities
See the Buckeye pathway plan here. 3/16/2017
Speaker Rosenberger Announces Specialized House Task Forces
March 17, 2017Speaker of the Ohio House Cliff (R-Clarksville) this week announced a slate of new task forces that will be responsible for addressing specific policy areas and potentially making legislative recommendations to House standing committees.
The newly named bipartisan task forces are as follows:
Speaker’s Task Force on Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Chair: Rep. Dorothy Pelanda (R-Marysville)
Speaker’s Task Force on HOPES (Heroin, Opioids, Prevention, Education and Safety)
Chair: Rep. Robert Sprague (R-Findlay)
Speaker’s Task Force on Energy Policy
Chair: Rep. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati)
Speaker’s Task Force on Education and Poverty
Chair: Rep. Bob Cupp (R-Lima)
Speaker’s Task Force on BRAC and Military Affairs
Chair: Rick Perales (R-Beavercreek)
In the House Majority Caucus blog, Speaker Rosenberger explained: “These various task forces will provide us the opportunity to dive deeper into subject matters that affect Ohioans all across the state. Each of them will work to find solutions to some of Ohio’s most pressing issues and will collaborate with experts and interested parties to increase our understanding of these topics in order to forge a productive pathway forward.”
Full task force memberships will be released by chairs at a later date. Task forces will begin holding interested party meetings beginning in April or May. 3/16/2017
EPA’s Pruitt Brings Welcome Reform Message to the Nation’s Manufacturers
March 10, 2017
This week, new U.S. EPA administrator Scott Pruitt visited with the board of directors of the National Association of Manufacturers. Pruitt presented an encouraging message of reform of the nation’s cumbersome and costly regulatory regime. One welcome theme of Pruitt was a call for more flexibility for the state to manage environmental regulations, rather than heavy-handed, one-size-fits-all federal mandates. 3/9/2017
Pictured: OMA president Eric Burkland with U.S. EPA administrator Scott Pruitt
6th Consecutive Year of Employment Growth in Manufacturing Jobs
March 10, 2017Lightweighting Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT), an organization focused on promoting the lightweight advanced manufacturing industry and attracting jobs to it, recently released its 4th quarter 2016 findings about Ohio lightweighting-related jobs:
“Employer demand for advanced manufacturing jobs related to lightweight advanced manufacturing in Ohio, gauged by online job postings, fell by 1,000 ads between Q3 and Q4 2016. The 19,985 ads posted during Q4 represented an eight percent decrease from the 21,704 ads during Q3 2016. This level of postings falls 24 percent lower than the 31,000 postings a year ago during Q4 2015. Despite the drop, 2016 marked the sixth consecutive year of employment growth for lightweighting-related jobs in Ohio since the depths of the Great Recession in 2010. In 2010, only 651,800 Ohio workers were employed in lightweighting-related advanced manufacturing jobs, and in 2016, employment reached over 735,000, a 13 percent increase.”
Read more here. OMA is LIFT’s Ohio partner. 3/8/2017
JobsOhio Publishes Results, Looks Ahead
March 10, 2017JobsOhio just published its 2016 annual report and 2017 strategic plan.
Results for 2016 included commitments from companies totaling 20,603 new jobs, representing $994 million in new payroll, as well as 76,773 retained jobs, representing $4.3 billion in payroll, and $4.6 billion in new capital investment.
JobsOhio is a private, non-profit corporation with a mission to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion efforts. 3/9/2017
NAM Recognition Event for Rep. Latta is March 31
March 10, 2017
On Friday, March 31, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) will honor Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH-05), a recipient of the NAM Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence.
The event will take place at the Hilton Garden Inn Findlay, 1050 Interstate Drive West, Findlay, OH 45840, from 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
The NAM Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence recognizes Rep. Latta’s exemplary voting record in the 114th Congress and his solid support for a strong manufacturing economy.
Northwest Ohio manufacturers are encouraged to attend. Register here. 3/8/2017