Senate Begins Consideration of Workforce Bill

The Ohio Senate Finance Committee this week heard sponsor testimony of House-approved legislation (House Bill 2) to expand the use of industry-recognized credentials. Introduced by Rep. Jon Cross (R-Kenton) and Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown), HB 2 passed the House 92-3 last spring. In short, the bill is the implementation language for key workforce provisions included in the state’s two-year operating budget (House Bill 166).

Under HB 2, the state would invest $15 million per fiscal year to create a TechCred program to reimburse eligible Ohio employers for training costs for current and prospective employees who want to earn micro-credentials. It would also provide $2.5 million a year to support industry sector partnerships — a key priority of the OMA. 9/18/2019