Throughout this legislative session, the Ohio House has been working hard to promote job creation, business growth and economic recovery. In recent months, Ohio has experienced a dramatic influx of industry and jobs. In January of this year, the Buckeye state gained 25,000 jobs, and in February, we led the nation in jobs gained with an uptick of more than 28,000. With more and more businesses relocating within our borders, these trends are poised to continue as we move forward in 2012.

To ensure that these relocating companies can make a smooth transition, they need access to information concerning available spaces in which to locate their operations. In this spirit, the House passed House Bill 436 at the end of March. This legislation creates the SiteOhio Certification Program, a revenue-neutral program that helps businesses to find available certified commercial, manufacturing and industrial properties in Ohio.

SiteOhio will be contained within the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD), and its overall purpose will be similar to the “Job-Ready Site Program.” This program is a current initiative that will end when its grant money expires in late April. Therefore, it is important to bridge the gap with a new and innovative program.

Providing this service to expanding or relocating companies makes Ohio an even more attractive place to do business. The program will feature an in-depth portfolio of available spaces posted on the ODOD website. Without convenient access to this information, it would be easy for companies to miss out on potential business sites. In addition, SiteOhio gives us a leg up on many states that do not offer similar services.

I would also like to emphasize the fact that SiteOhio does not create another expense that must be covered with taxpayer money. Instead, businesses will pay a fee to use the program’s services, taking tax dollars out of the equation. I am confident that SiteOhio will prove to be an invaluable asset to relocating businesses, providing further encouragement to open up shop within our borders.

House Bill 436 was passed out of the House with a unanimous vote. Legislators from both sides of the aisle agree that this program is a useful addition to ODOD and will promote greater economic growth in the state. Simply put, SiteOhio is just one more way that we can demonstrate that Ohio is truly “open for business.”

Although the vast majority of us have taken a government class at some point—where we learned about democracy, how a bill becomes a law, and the history of our state and nation—far fewer people have had the opportunity to witness how the legislative process functions up close. On the state level, living in far northeast Ohio makes the logistics of being involved even harder for the people of our area.

Just this past week, the House opted to split one massive bill into several bills so that we can focus on the details of the legislation based on the specific issues being addressed. House Bill 487 is the mid-biennium budget review, which serves as a smaller—but no less important—budget process between the years we work on the state’s general operating budget.

A lot of work has already gone into the content of this legislation, including several weeks’ worth of study and committee hearings. The bill has been broken up into smaller bills that include subjects such as veterans’ services, taxes, financial institutions and local government. I’m confident that by taking a closer look at these specific aspects, the House can do a better job of reforming government, getting people back to work, and improving education.

As we consider a particular bill in Columbus, it typically gets assigned to a House standing committee, which is a smaller panel of representatives that can look in-depth at certain subject matter. I serve on the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, Education Committee, and Transportation, Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.

Within our committees, we hold hearings so that experts, citizens, and other interested parties can present their viewpoints on particular pieces of legislation. Because of this process, we can iron out the kinks that some bills have and decide whether legislation is really needed to address a particular issue.

I’m pleased that by moving aspects of the mid-biennium review into separate bills, the House will be giving the different subject matter included the full attention and consideration that is needed. It is crucial that when a bill comes up for a vote on the House floor, it has been vetted and will not lead to any problems. We want to do things the right way, and with the mid-biennium review, we are doing just that.

While the cost of operating farms in the state of Ohio has continued to increase, the ability for farmers to receive loans, as well as the funding available to help the state’s farms, have become outdated and ineffective.

Since being created in 1985, the Agricultural Linked Deposit Program has loaned about $2.8 billion in assistance to 40,000 Ohio farmers. Obviously, this funding has helped the state’s largest industry maintain high productivity and has assisted farmers in keeping up with their input costs. During that time, however, the program has undergone very few changes to bring it up-to-date with today’s costs, forcing many farmers to either search for further funding avenues or to reduce the scope of their operations.

For these reasons, it was clear that the Ag Linked Deposit Program needed to be upgraded in order to stay current with what farmers pay for things like machinery, pesticides and fertilizer. To address these concerns, the Ohio House in January passed House Bill 415, which increases the available funding that is coming out of the program. State funding to the program would increase from $125 million to $165 million annually and individual loan amounts would jump from $100,000 to $150,000 per application. Again, these funding increases were necessary due to rising costs sparked by inflation, and considering that the last major change to the program took place in 2002, obvious discrepancies had taken hold.

Another positive feature of the legislation is lowering the interest rates on these loans, which can lead to greater savings for farmers, especially over time. Those savings will allow Ohio’s farmers to invest more resources and capital into their businesses, increase hiring and improve the economy.

The bill received bipartisan support in the House, as well as from multiple agricultural organizations, notably the Ohio Farm Bureau, the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association, the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association and the Ohio AgriBusiness Association. The changes made in this bill go a long way toward helping our state’s small, locally owned farms and businesses.

In 1998, Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act, which was intended to address workforce development measures that are necessary for the ever-changing needs of businesses and changing workforce. The stated goal at the time was to review and revise the provisions within the legislation every five years.

Ohio has recently experienced unseasonably mild spring weather. Easter Sunday was a particularly lovely day. This milder weather has been beneficial to those working in construction and landscaping and to those who are working off that spare tire that mysteriously appeared over the holidays and has hung on until now. Spring is a time of renewal, a time to give thanks for all of nature’s wonders.

This migration had a historical precedent: At the turn of the 1900s, oil and gas booms in Oklahoma and Texas triggered a mass migration from Ohio southward. That migration was duplicated over the last quarter century as companies and individuals sought a more rewarding environment. The flight of workers and companies from our state has benefitted the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida.

Fortunately, migration is now being reversed. My legislative colleagues and I are working hard to make Ohio the most attractive place to do business, whether you’re in oil and gas, or a supplier to the pharmaceutical industry, in the trucking business, or just an entrepreneur who’s willing to take a risk.

A couple of years ago, the trucking industry was struggling across Ohio, especially in S.E. Ohio. The shale plays in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio have changed that industry’s trajectory. The pipe manufacturers and steel companies are expanding and finding it difficult to hire enough workers. Petroleum engineers who were being farmed out to Louisiana and Texas are in demand here, and the list goes on.

In Marietta, we have a “Vision Project” underway to recruit new residents. It’s still ramping up with the creation of a web portal and videos of residents who have chosen to relocate to Marietta over the past several years. Washington County wants to do its best to be a magnet for those who want to come back or to put down roots in our area because economic opportunity has landed them here. More communities need to get on board with this idea, to appeal to these individuals who have moved away, to let them know just what is going on in Ohio.

We don’t want to trap our young people in Ohio; it’s a good thing that they see a world outside our borders. But if they want to make a future for themselves and their families in Ohio, we want them to have that chance. The energy investment that has come our way is making that possible. This is the best kind of migration we can hope for—a migration to opportunity, right here in S.E. Ohio.

In the coming months, workforce development will be a major focus for the Ohio House. With more and more jobs pouring in, there has never been a more important time to ensure that Ohioans have the necessary skills to meet the challenges of a competitive workplace. Without the appropriate training, our citizens will not be able to take advantage of the employment opportunities popping up all around them. Accordingly, workforce development and job creation go hand in hand.

With Ohio’s recent impressive job growth numbers, it is essential that our network of workforce training programs is able to arm Ohio’s workers with the know-how to fill these new positions. The new jobs gained have numbered over 53,000 in the months of January and February alone. In February, with an increase of 28,300 positions, Ohio gained more jobs than any other state during the one-month period. These encouraging numbers need to be matched with an equally impressive workforce training system.

To this end, the House Workforce Development Task Force was created. The task force recently held five meetings throughout the state in an effort to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of Ohio’s current workforce programs. Employers, jobseekers and representatives from educational institutions were among those who testified at these hearings. From these discussions, the committee gained a wealth of knowledge that will be invaluable as we begin to implement workforce development reforms.

In particular, the hearings brought to light the waste and inefficiency that is embedded in the current system. Presently, Ohio operates a network of 77 workforce training programs in 13 different state agencies. This sprawling set up contains many duplicative services and makes inter-network collaboration difficult. Going forward, the House will focus on consolidation and elimination of these overlapping service offerings. We will also be working to ensure that classes at universities and technical schools arm students with the necessary tools to be competitive in fast growing industries.

Reconfiguring the state workforce development system will be an ongoing project for the General Assembly throughout 2012. I am confident that we can bring these programs up to speed by making the aforementioned changes. With a strong network of workforce development and continued job growth, Ohio’s jobseekers will have every advantage at their disposal.

United States Constitution has gotten a lot of attention lately. The debates at the Supreme Court about the constitutionality of President Obama’s federal healthcare law have sparked interest, as well as concern, about the importance of our nation’s premier founding document.

So when a bill came to the House floor that would require Ohio public schools’ curriculum to include the teaching of important historical documents, I immediately recognized its importance. It is necessary that the students of our state be taught about the documents that have shaped our nation and helped it become the beacon of freedom that so many people recognize throughout the world.

Specifically, Senate Bill 165 requires the State Board of Education to include into the state’s social studies standards the original texts of historical documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, Northwest Ordinance, US Constitution and the Ohio Constitution. The only way to expect the next generation to understand and uphold the virtue of liberty is to teach it to them. This is the job, not only of teachers, but also parents.

Learning the original texts of these documents is also important because it helps put their words and missions into context with the times they were written. Knowing the words of the Declaration of Independence, for example, does not make much of an impact unless one understands why it was written in the first place. If students understand that our Founding Fathers came to America to escape high taxation and restricted freedom under the British Crown, then their message of independence and liberty are that much more meaningful.

Our freedoms are by no means guaranteed. They will only be safe as long as there is an educated citizenry willing to stand up and fight to preserve them. Senate Bill 165 is but one piece of legislation, but I believe it can make a long-term, positive impact.

Here in the Ohio House, my colleagues and I are constantly looking for new ways to improve the lives of all Ohioans and to build a stronger future for our state. From business growth measures to education reforms, innovation has been a hallmark of the 129th General Assembly so far. Throughout 2012, we will be continuing this record with even more forward-thinking legislation.

To address these issues, the Ohio House Workforce Development Task Force was recently created. So far, this committee has held five hearings throughout Ohio to engage those who know workforce development best. The task force heard testimony from employers, employees, agencies, job seekers, students and educational institutions themselves. All in all, 85 separate testimonies were collected, providing valuable insight into what works and what is lacking in Ohio’s workforce development institutions.

In the coming months, the House will be using these valuable insights to strengthen existing programs and reform Ohio’s current system of workforce development. Significantly, we have found that the network of development programs needs to be consolidated to eliminate duplicative services and inefficiencies. In addition, a greater emphasis on collaboration within the existing network is needed in order to adequately train Ohioans for lucrative job positions. It takes a unified system working together to ensure the success of our citizens in the workplace.

The governor also made workforce development a major area of focus in his mid-biennium budget review. Perhaps the biggest area for potential jobs will be in the energy industry as Ohio moves forward on drilling for oil and natural gas. In order for these jobs to go to Ohioans, we must be proactive in our efforts to train individuals in college and in technical schools. Therefore, they will be ready to perform these tasks without the jobs going to out-of-state workers.

I am confident that Ohio can and will be a leader in developing and training a capable workforce that is prepared to meet the needs of the jobs market. By remaining focused on this issue and making sure that the training the state’s workers receive is relevant to job-creating industries, we can move into the future with confidence and set an example for other states to follow.

Last month, the Ohio House and Senate passed a bill that designated March 2012 as “Skilled Workforce Recognition Month.” The intention behind this act was to pay tribute to the workers and laborers that have helped make our state what it is today. It is also fitting that this bill passed when it did, considering the encouraging statistics that were recently released that indicated substantial job growth in Ohio.

In February, Ohio gained 28,300 jobs, which was better than any other state in the country. Those numbers built off of an impressive January that saw 25,000 jobs created. The promising start to 2012 is also evidenced by the fact that Ohio’s unemployment rate has continued to fall, now standing at 7.6 percent, which is lower than the national average.

These numbers show the spectacular impact the private sector can make when it is given the opportunity to succeed and can avoid heavy tax burdens and endless red tape. Ohioans have seen in the past just how restrictive and harmful an expansive and inefficient government can be for job creation, and the restructuring of taxes and regulations by the 129th General Assembly have represented a sincere effort to grant freedom back to the job creators in the state.

As the economy grows, however, it becomes even more important to develop the human capital that will soon be filling these jobs. My mission since joining the House has been to do what is best for Ohioans, and that includes making sure that they have the resources and training they need to respond to the demands of a growing jobs market.

In the coming weeks and months, the Ohio House will be evaluating ways to improve upon our existing workforce development system, a system that over time has become bulky and inefficient. Ohio currently has 77 workforce training programs in 13 agencies, which has resulted in not only government waste, but also a lack of accountability. In a system as large as that, good ideas can easily be lost and replaced by ineffective ideas that simply advance the status quo.

Part of the upcoming effort will be to find creative ways to match the demands of the jobs market with relevant training courses at colleges and technical schools. Moreover, we must identify and emphasize the importance of communication across state agencies, so that the best ideas can be shared and implemented.

In order to make Ohio as competitive as it can be on a national scale, the state legislature has made targeted and focused investments in areas aimed to spur the desired growth. Recently, the General Assembly approved and the governor signed the capital improvements bill, which provides funding for the renovation of facilities throughout the state.

Moving forward, the Ohio House will be looking at the governor’s Mid-Biennium Budget Review proposal, which runs a fine-toothed comb through last year’s budget. That bill also focuses on the importance of capital improvements and job creation techniques. Ohio has come a long way in the previous year, jumping from 48th to 9th in job creation nationwide and first in the Midwest. Much of the work we will be doing in the coming months will be to continue that positive momentum.

Each March, Americans across the country celebrate National Women’s History Month. During this time, we have the chance to honor all of the contributions that women have made to American society throughout our nation’s history. From the sciences to the arts and politics, American women have broken down barriers built up by prejudice. In overcoming these obstacles, they have worked to ensure that everyone has equal opportunities, women and men alike.

From the very founding of our nation, women have been involved in this struggle to gain equality with men. In 1920, women scored a major victory in gaining the right to vote through the efforts of suffragettes, such as Susan B. Anthony. Since then, more and more doors have been opened to women, and the list of inspirational success stories is truly endless. For instance, in 1938, Pearl S. Buck became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and, in 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to enter space. Across disciplines and career paths, women continue to make their mark on American society.

In the U.S. political field, women are still underrepresented in state and national offices, but this trend is slowly, but surely, changing. In 1960, women held only 20 of the 535 seats in Congress; today, 90 of those seats are now held by women. Across the country, women account for 24 percent of all state legislatures. Here in Ohio, women hold seven seats in the Senate and 23 seats in the House. As the first female state representative elected from Knox County, I feel very blessed to be a part of, not only the legislative process, but the movement towards equal representation of women in public offices.

As women continue to contribute to our society, opportunities for educational advancement are crucial. In this spirit, the 2012 theme of National Women’s History Month is “Women’s Education – Women’s Empowerment.” The United States has come a long way since Oberlin became the first college to admit women in 1837. The implementation of Title IX in 1977 cemented women’s equal educational opportunities in America. Title IX prohibits federally funded institutions from any practice of gender discrimination, giving women a legal pathway to greater participation in all areas of education. Today, women outnumber men in American colleges and universities, a true indicator of the gains we have made toward gender equality in the U.S.

Above all, National Women’s History Month is a testament to the American dream. We, as Americans, have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of our gender. Please join me this month in honoring all of the extraordinary women who continue to remind us of this important message.

From the time it was passed, the more the American people have learned about President Obama’s federal healthcare overhaul, the more they dislike it. According to a USA Today poll released earlier this month, three-fourths of Americans think the law is unconstitutional. Rasmussen Reports indicates that 53 percent of likely voters support repeal of the law, compared to just 38 percent who want the law to stay. Additionally, the Congressional Budget Office recently reported that the cost of Obamacare will be about double of what was initially expected, in the neighborhood of $1.76 trillion.

Although no state has the power to repeal any portion of the federal healthcare law, we should be willing to do everything in our power to make our voices heard. Therefore, the Ohio House in late February passed House Concurrent Resolution 35. The resolution urges President Obama “to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to rescind the rule requiring religious employers to include contraceptive services in their health insurance plans in violation of their religious beliefs.”

If the federal government has the power to mandate what religious groups do, then where does the government’s authority end? In the Bill of Rights, our Founding Fathers explicitly granted protection for religious organizations from the government. It is up to us to uphold these protections.

The rule was eventually changed after Americans made their opposition felt and heard. Unfortunately, the federal government simply redirected their focus from one irresponsible mandate to another. Under the revised provision, religious institutions no longer have to offer contraceptive services, but instead insurance companies must provide the service free of charge. The federal government should avoid determining what private companies sell or provide because it throws the competitiveness of the free market out of balance.

The more government gets involved in the private sector, the less room there is for other companies to enter the market and differentiate themselves from their competitors. When left alone, the free market can achieve extraordinary things. Limitless government intervention simply muddies the water and places barriers in the way of economic progress.

HCR 35 was a stand against the government trampling on our religious and economic liberties. A person’s moral convictions are too important to be left in the hands of bureaucrats in Washington.

Without a doubt, public education is one of the most important services provided by our state government. There is no better investment than the investment we make in our children’s future with successful schools. Unfortunately, Ohio has long had problems with our school funding formula. In 1997, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the formula was unconstitutional, but very little has been done to fix this troubling issue. However, the Ohio House plans to reverse this trend of inaction in 2012.

Our current economic climate has made the search for a constitutional school funding formula all the more pressing. When families and communities are looking for any way to cut back on spending, it is less likely for school levies to pass. This serves to further imperil the quality of education in districts across Ohio. In addition, our state depends largely on property taxes to provide funding for our schools. This, in turn, creates disparities in funding between poorer and wealthier districts that must be resolved.

To properly deal with these issues, it is necessary for the state legislature to have a comprehensive picture of the current school funding situation. To this end, a bipartisan process has been designed to gather testimony from the people who know our education system best, including school administrators, teachers and parents. Finding an answer to this enduring problem should not be rushed or we risk implementing a half-baked solution. By holding public hearings throughout the state, we will ensure that the General Assembly has the information it needs to craft a fix that sticks.

However, in working to find a solution, we must not lose sight of the fact that money cannot solve all problems. High student achievement is not based solely on dollar signs, and we must always keep this in mind as we make changes to Ohio’s school funding formula. It is important to recognize districts with positive outcomes and hold schools accountable for less than satisfactory performances.

In the end, we all are working toward the same objective: providing a brighter future to Ohio’s youth. Fifteen years after the Ohio Supreme Court’s ruling on our school funding formula, it is high time to address the funding obstacles that plague our public education system. All children deserve a chance to reach their full potential, and strong schools are the key to their success.

There is a direct relation between creating jobs and developing Ohio’s workforce. Available jobs are essentially worthless unless there is a trained and capable workforce ready to fill them. Likewise, training individuals for the workforce is only as valuable as the number of jobs they can attain.

During the past year, job creation has been the top priority of House Republicans. Specifically, the goal from the first day of session last year has been on discovering ways to decrease the cost of doing business in Ohio, which in recent years has been anything but friendly to small businesses. Too much government and not enough freedom in the private sector equate to a sluggish economy and a citizenry interested in finding ways out of the state.

As we now move forward into the second half of the 129th General Assembly, I am proud of the progress that Ohio has made. Through the creation of JobsOhio and other pieces of business-friendly legislation, including tax credits and reductions, the state of Ohio has seen its unemployment rate drop from 10.6 percent two years ago to 7.7 percent today. Also in that time, more than 21,000 jobs have been created in the state, resulting in Ohio moving up 39 places (from 48th to 9th) in job creation nationwide.

With new jobs being created, we now have to focus on filling them. It is not the government’s job to place people into job positions, but elected officials should make it a priority to do everything in their power to help those looking for work find the jobs that are available. This includes not only informing the public of the available jobs, but also ensuring that the talents of the workforce correlate to the market’s needs. It is in everyone’s best interest that this be given considerable attention.

The House has moved forward on this mission, beginning with the creation of the Workforce Development Study Committee. This committee held hearings throughout Ohio late last year and received input from employers, job seekers and anyone else who had ideas about strengthening our state’s workforce development program. Currently, Ohio has 77 different workforce development programs spanning 13 state agencies. Anyone can see how this might lead to inefficiency, ineffectiveness and a lack of accountability.

As we progress into 2012, the House will focus on consolidating some of these programs and eliminating those that are either redundant or obsolete. Part of this effort will include finding ways to enhance communication between the agencies and programs, as well as adopting strategies that have been proven to work.

Instead of looking for ways to regulate people and businesses, government should be committed to working with our citizens to ensure that the Ohio that our children and grandchildren grow up in is a thriving environment to find jobs and raise their families. A refusal to make substantive changes to the current system will only result in future generations raising their families elsewhere.