State Representatives Casey Kozlowski (R-Pierpont) and Ron Young (R-Painesville) today applauded the Ohio House of Representatives’ passage of House Bill 491, which designates June as “Ohio Wines Month.”
"Ohio has a historically impressive agricultural industry, but our wine industry is quickly rising in the ranks, which has taken in root in Ohio soil,” said Representative Kozlowski, who jointly sponsored House Bill 491 with Representative Young. “It is important that we highlight this economic sector that has become so vital to our state’s long-term success by encouraging local tourism and job creation within our borders.”
Currently, there are more than 150 wineries located in the state of Ohio, more than doubling the number that existed just 15 years ago. The Ohio grape and wine industry sustains more than 4,000 jobs, produces $124 million in payroll, and generates more than $580 million in economic activity.
“Ohio’s wine industry has a significant impact on our economy and creates jobs in a number of different sectors, from the farmers who grow the grapes and truck drivers who transport the product, to the retail workers who sell the wine in stores,” said Representative Young. “Encouraging this industry to grow and succeed, in turn, will help revitalize our economy. It is my hope that designating June as ‘Ohio Wines Month’ will help put the spotlight on this flourishing industry and take it to a higher level of success.”
Representatives Kozlowski and Young have continued to work toward a stronger wine industry in Ohio in order to create more jobs for Ohioans and promote sustainable economic activity. In December 2011, Governor Kasich signed into law legislation that Representatives Kozlowski and Young jointly sponsored in an effort to make Ohio more business-friendly to wineries and micro-distillers. House Bill 243, which had passed with unanimous support from the House, amended A-3a permit regulations and lightened the overly bureaucratic restrictions that often hindered business growth, job creation or tourism in Ohio.
House Bill 491 will now move to the Ohio Senate for further consideration and debate.
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