Mar 15, 2022 | Advocacy
Federal News:
Ohio’s manufacturing future looks towards chips and semiconductors in the greater Columbus region; with federal help, more investment may be on the way.
On February 4, 2022 the United States House of Representatives passed the America COMPETES Act of 2022 by a vote of 222 to 210. Among other measures, the 2,900-page bill allocates nearly $52 billion in grants to subsidize semiconductor manufacturing and another $300 billion for other, related research and development purposes.
Feb 11, 2022 | Advocacy
Federal News:
2022 may be the tipping point in sales of electric vehicles: Market analysts are predicting 2022 may be the year in which sales of cars powered solely by batteries tip into the mainstream. Data reported for 2021 show such vehicle sales surged in the United States, Europe and China; sales of fossil fuel vehicles were stagnant.
Feb 11, 2022 | Advocacy
Federal News:
2022 may be the tipping point in sales of electric vehicles: Market analysts are predicting 2022 may be the year in which sales of cars powered solely by batteries tip into the mainstream. Data reported for 2021 show such vehicle sales surged in the United States, Europe and China; sales of fossil fuel vehicles were stagnant.
One compelling data point is that electric vehicles accounted for only 2 ½ percent of new vehicle sales in 2019, but were nearly 9 percent of all new cars sold worldwide in 2021. It could be that 2022 is the year when the internal combustion engine truly began to slide toward obsolescence.
Jan 19, 2022 | Advocacy
Federal News:
Final Rule released for local governments’ use of ARPA funds: On January 6, the U.S. Treasury issued its 437-page Final Rule on the use of ARPA – Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The Treasury published a high-quality overview describing its new guidance.
But which form of guidance to follow? Interim Rule or Final Rule? Treasury states that its Final Rule takes effect on April 1, 2022; prior to that date, “recipients may take actions and use funds in a manner consistent with the final rule, and Treasury will not take action to enforce the interim final rule if a use of funds is consistent with the terms of the final rule, regardless of when the [Local Fiscal Recovery Funds] were used” (U.S. Treasury, Statement Regarding Compliance with the Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Interim Final Rule and Final Rule, Jan. 2022, at page 1).
Jan 19, 2022 | Advocacy
State News:
State Capital Bill requests to be due by March 18 to your legislators: We now know of the timeline set by the General Assembly and Governor DeWine’s Administration for the capital budget for 2022. In December, Senate Finance Committee Chair Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) announced the plan to (i) complete the capital re-appropriations budget by March 31 of funding already authorized projects and (ii) appropriations for new capital projects are to be due to state legislators by March 18. For new projects, legislators will submit their priorities by April 1.
