Senate Amends State Budget; OMA Reacts

The Ohio Senate this week made its first-round revisions to the voluminous state budget bill (House Bill 110). The budget can alter hundreds of policies, affecting many facets of regulation and state spending. This Leadership Briefing includes separate stories on the Senate budget provisions of greatest interest to manufacturers, but other provisions worth noting include:

• Removal of the House’s increase in K-12 school funding;
• Expansion of the Buy Ohio program that would encourage public sector entities to purchase locally produced PPE and related products; and
• Retention of a workforce apprenticeship program to be administered by MAGNET, Northeast Ohio’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).

OMA Managing Director of Public Policy Services Rob Brundrett testified this week in support of the budget language to exempt temporary employment services from sales tax, while highlighting the need to continue funding the expansion of industry sector partnerships for workforce development. Another round of budget changes will occur next week before the Senate is expected to complete action on HB 110 and send the measure to a joint House-Senate conference committee. 6/3/2021