Tracked Senate Bills – September 2017

After a brief summer recess, the legislature reconvened in September. A Senate session scheduled for September 6 to further consider the Biennial Budget was cancelled so that talks could continue between the Senate and the Administration. New bills and changes are noted below in bold.

SB 3 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT (Beagle, B., Balderson, T.) Originally, introduced in January, a substitute bill was introduced in April that would revise the laws governing the state’s workforce development system, programs that may be offered by primary and secondary schools, certificates of qualification for employment, and the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Agency, and would designate the first week of May as In-Demand Jobs Week. Many of those provisions were adopted in the Biennial Budget Bill, so another substitute version has been introduced, which shifts the focus to an In-Demand Jobs Week in May and revises the training requirements for alternative resident educator licenses, allowing for-profit entities such as Teach for Tomorrow to provide training to prospective alternative educators. That substitute bill was adopted by the Senate Transportation, Commerce and Workforce Committee September 13 to make the bill identical to companion bill HB 166.

Tracked House Bills – September 2017

After a brief summer recess, the legislature reconvened in September. A Senate session scheduled for September 6 to further consider the Biennial Budget was cancelled so that talks could continue between the Senate and the Administration. New bills and changes are noted below in bold.

HB 10 CROWDFUNDING (Arndt, S.) This bill was introduced in the House February 1 and would permit intrastate equity crowdfunding under certain circumstances. The bill would provide an exemption from registration under the Ohio Securities Law for certain crowdfunding initiatives. The bill passed in the House on June 21 and was referred in Senate (6/28/2017) to the Transportation, Commerce & Workforce Committee. The Committee held its first hearing with sponsor testimony September 6. Sponsoring Representative Steven Arndt (R-Port Clinton) said the measure “keeps Ohio competitive by providing another means or tool that invites and supports investment in Ohio and our communities.” Ohio is in the minority when it comes to intrastate equity crowdfunding, he said. Under the Ohio-Invests Crowdfunding Platform, port authorities, community improvement corporations and chambers of commerce can be issuers.” By doing so, this provides the gateway for Ohio based business to publicly introduce their business venture and its business plan to Ohio residents and thereby provide them the opportunity to invest in an Ohio based business venture,” Rep. Arndt said.

Pipeline H2O Accelerator Addressing Challenges Around Water – Leverages the Region’s Expertise in Water

The Pipeline H2O accelerator is on a mission to identify and commercialize the world’s leading water-based startup technologies in the world – right here in Ohio. Pipeline H2O is managed by The Hamilton Mill, a small business incubator located in Hamilton, Ohio that focuses on clean energy and advanced manufacturing technologies. The Hamilton Mill has a unique “City as a Lab” approach which enables companies to quickly engage with municipal departments to prototype and test their products.

New Generation Being Prepared for Skilled Manufacturing Jobs in Champaign Co.

A local initiative – to prepare Champaign County students for in-demand manufacturing careers and help supply the skilled employees local manufacturers need – is beginning to pay off.

Zack Zizzo, a 2017 Triad High School graduate, is among those already seeing the benefits. So is Dan Szklany, plant manager of ORBIS Corporation in Urbana.

ORBIS recently hired Zizzo as a paid intern. And while he works, ORBIS is providing Zizzo tuition assistance for the two-year mechanical engineering technology program at Clark State Community College. That comes with the promise of a job at ORBIS after graduation.

AG Releases Ohio Economic Development Manual; OEDA Proud Partner in Effort

In conjunction with economic development professionals from across the state, my office has created the Ohio Economic Development Manual to help current and prospective businesses, local governments, and economic development practitioners better understand the legal landscape of economic development in Ohio.

We hope that this guide will be a resource for questions about the legal framework for economic development in Ohio.