Obviously, these are simply judgments at the time; we do not know the real results until much later when the law has had time to take effect. That is why it is helpful to see analyses of various pieces of legislation, so we know the real-world effects that these policies create.

That has been the case with JobsOhio, which passed the Ohio House at the beginning of last year as an attempt to spark job creation and make our state more competitive nationally. In August, JobsOhio released its second-quarter report of the projects it has worked on from April to June 2012, as well as some of the long-term results the policy has had for economic growth.

The results were quite positive. During the second quarter of this year, JobsOhio secured commitments from 77 different companies to create a combined 4,666 jobs. Additionally, those commitments equal more than $200 million in new payroll, as well as a three-year return on investment of $31 million. That means that within three years the tax revenue generated from the increase in jobs will exceed the total investment made by the state.

People do not need to be reminded of the economic hardships that still face this nation and our state. Ohio is not back to where we all want it to be. But the state has been a leader over the past 12 months in turning a sluggish economy around. Much of it is due to scaling back unnecessary regulations that stifle job creation and lead to excess costs on small businesses.