Leadership

One-Year Anniversary of Intel’s Ohio Announcement

This week marks the first anniversary of Intel’s historic announcement that it will invest tens of billions of dollars to build leading-edge semiconductor factories in Ohio. (See the OMA’s “Intel in Ohio” page.)

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted this week told ABC 6 in Columbus that site prep is nearly complete and construction of the factories is on track to start this winter. But federal funding, aimed at expediting the project, had not yet arrived.

At this week’s World Economic Forum, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said passage of the federal CHIPS Act was a “turning point” in global competition with China and critical to U.S. manufacturing. As reported by Fox Business, he emphasized the importance of America’s technology leadership to make supply chains more resilient. 1/19/2023

How Artificial Intelligence Is Boosting Supply Chains

OMA Connections Partner BSI has published this insight into how technology is addressing supply chain challenges. The firm encourages logistics professionals to explore integrating artificial intelligence to protect supply chains against current and future global challenges. 1/19/2023

Ohio’s 2024 U.S. Senate Race Gets an Early Start

Although the 2022 general election was just two months ago, the 2024 campaign season is already underway after state Sen. Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) announced this week he’s running to contest incumbent U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Dolan placed third in last year’s GOP primary for the open U.S. Senate seat won by now-U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-OH). Hear Dolan’s Jan. 18 interview on 610 WTVN.

Other Republicans are expected to enter the contest. Brown has said previously he will seek a fourth term. 1/17/2023

OMA Releases 2023 Committee Schedule

One of the benefits of OMA membership is the ability to participate in the association’s policy committee meetings. Whether attending in person or virtually, these events offer members the chance to learn more about legislation and policy-related developments; interact with decision makers; and work with colleagues from the manufacturing community.

This one-page document includes all 2023 meeting dates and information on how to register. OMA maintains policy committees in the areas of energy, environment, government affairs, safety and workers’ compensation, and tax and finance. All OMA members are eligible to attend at no cost. 1/9/2023

DeWine Starts Second Term by Saluting Manufacturers

On Jan. 9, Gov. Mike DeWine took the oath of office for his second term as governor in a ceremonial swearing-in at the Statehouse. (He was sworn in officially the evening of Jan. 8, three days after his 76th birthday.)

In his inaugural remarks at the Statehouse, DeWine spotlighted industry, saying: “Manufacturing is flourishing. Ohio has always been a manufacturing state. But now we are bringing the highest tech manufacturing known to man to the state of Ohio, and the world is taking notice.”

Staff from the OMA and several member companies attended the swearing-in ceremonies of the governor, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, and other state officeholders. Watch the governor’s inaugural speech here. (Also, here’s a look at the governor’s cabinet following some recent retirements.) 1/10/2023

Unexpected Twist for the 135th: A ‘Majority GOP Caucus’

As previously reported, Ohio’s 135th General Assembly got underway last week with Rep. Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) elected speaker of the Ohio House — the result of 22 of 67 Republicans voting with the House’s 32 Democrats.

The vote surprised and angered supporters of Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township), who just weeks before had been unofficially selected by House Republicans to be the next speaker.

This week, the rift between House Republicans grew following a meeting of Merrin and his supporters, who declared they are the “Republican Majority Caucus” and will be united in pushing conservative policy. Read reports by The Plain Dealer and The Columbus Dispatch. 1/12/2023

Ohio Manufacturing GDP Surpasses $130 Billion

The economic output of Ohio manufacturers has surpassed $130 billion annually. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Ohio’s seasonally adjusted annual manufacturing GDP yielded $130.04 billion during Q3 2022, up from $118.3 billion a year earlier.

As of last November, Ohio had 687,300 manufacturing jobs, up from about 658,000 in November 2020. 1/12/2023

DeWine OKs Photo ID Requirement for Voters

Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a package of election law changes, which include Ohio’s first voter photo ID requirement and shorter time frames for mailed ballots and provisional processing to help prevent vote-counting delays. A lawsuit has been filed by a Democratic law firm in an attempt to overturn the new law. 1/9/2023

New General Assembly Is Underway

Ohio’s 135th General Assembly commenced Tuesday, Jan. 3. Here are some key factors that will shape the new two-year session.

• Republicans hold super-majorities in both chambers with 67 of 99 House seats and 26 of 33 Senate seats. (The House has 27 new members; the Senate has seven new members.)
• In a surprise upset, Rep. Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) defeated Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township) in the race for House speaker. (See related story.)
• Sen. Matt Huffman (R-Lima) will lead the Senate again as its president.
• The top priority for lawmakers in the first half of 2023 will be to pass a new two-year state budget.

Here are the chairs and membership rosters for the Senate’s 19 standing committees. New chairs include Sen. Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin) of the Energy and Public Utilities Committee. The House is expected to announce its committee rosters soon. 1/4/2023

House Dems Help Elect New Ohio Speaker

Members will recall that following the November election, Toledo-area Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township) was unofficially selected by his fellow House Republicans to be Ohio’s next speaker — one of the most powerful posts in state government. But on Jan. 3, southern Ohio Rep. Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) defeated Merrin in the House’s official vote.

It was an upset that stunned Statehouse observers. All of Merrin’s 43 votes came from Republicans — while only 22 Republicans voted for Stephens. All 32 Democrats voted for Stephens.

The Plain Dealer published this story on how Stephens’ successful bid came together. The paper notes that the vote was reminiscent of the 2019 speaker election, in which Democrats provided Larry Householder the support needed to unseat then-Speaker Ryan Smith.

Gongwer News Service reports Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) denied any “grand deals” were made in securing the vote for Stephens, but she said issues like “supporting workers” and education policy were discussed. Meanwhile, conservative commentator Mehek Cooke told WTVN in Columbus that some House Republicans “sold out” in “a favor to unions.”

Going forward, the new speaker will have to contend with a fractured GOP caucus, while the House legislative agenda remains uncertain, as noted by the Statehouse News Bureau. 1/5/2023