When enacted, House Bill 489 will complete the transition from the Ohio Department of Development to the Ohio Development Services Agency (DSA). The legislation will revitalize Ohio’s job creation efforts by providing essential services to JobsOhio—the state’s private, non-profit entity created through House Bill 1—including the administration and oversight of loans and tax credits that will further create and expand Ohio businesses.

“I am pleased to be part of creating a reliable, sustainable tourism model that is an investment in Ohio jobs,” said Representative Grossman, who cosponsored House Bill 489 and is the chair of the Travel and Tourism Caucus. “I am happy to join my colleagues in the Ohio Legislature in cosponsoring this results-oriented legislation that would fund Ohio tourism based upon the business tourism brings to Ohio.”

In general, the tourist industry accounts for 439,000 jobs, the fourth largest industry in the state. Tourism promotion is an investment that renders a quantifiable return to Ohio, bringing $2.6 billion into Ohio each year in the form of local and state taxes.

The Ohio House of Representatives passed legislation that aims to boost Ohio’s economic development potential and improve the state’s competitiveness through the creation of the SiteOhio certification program.

The SiteOhio program, as outlined in House Bill 436, would be created within the Department of Development to certify and market eligible commercial, industrial, and manufacturing sites and facilities. The goal of this program is to meet the site expectations for companies that are looking to locate or expand in Ohio, which will give Ohio a competitive edge in creating jobs.

“There is a necessity to continue site certification in Ohio to ensure that the state has a portfolio of sites to market to new and expanding businesses,” said Representative Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City), who sponsored House Bill 436 with Representative Marlene Anielski (R-Walton Hills). “Today’s passage of House Bill 436 shows the Ohio House’s continued commitment to job creation and economic growth in Ohio. We are thinking outside the box and we are doing what it takes to get Ohio back on track.”

“SiteOhio will serve as an important economic development tool across the state, especially for companies looking to locate or expand in Ohio,” said Representative Anielski. “Our ability to market various sites within our communities to prospective businesses is vital to our future as a state. In addition to developing a well-trained workforce and assisting the growth of our small businesses, our passage of House Bill 436 will also give us the means to attract potential companies to our borders.”

This fee-for-service program is revenue neutral and would mirror Ohio’s current Job-Ready Sites Program, which is currently in its final funding round that will terminate at the end of April. Applicants to SiteOhio will finance construction costs, any required studies and infrastructure improvements.

Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) today proudly announced that State Representative Peter Stautberg (R-Anderson Twp.) was awarded Ohio Auditor of State Dave Yost’s prestigious Champion of Performance Audits Award for his outstanding work in support of efficient, accountable state government.

The award recognizes Representative Stautberg’s work on House Bill 2 (Senate Bill 4), legislation that he sponsored to require the Ohio Auditor of State to conduct performance audits of at least four state agencies each biennium. The goal of this legislation is to institute a policy of good government within the state of Ohio and ensure that Ohio’s government is operating as efficiently as possible.

“Representative Stautberg has been a valuable partner in our efforts to achieve greater government efficiency, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely,” said Auditor Yost. “I look forward to continuing our work to ‘skinny down’ the size of government in Ohio, and I’m honored to present him this award today.”

“I would like to commend my good friend and colleague Representative Stautberg for his hard work in putting Ohio’s taxpayers first and helping to create a more cost-effective government,” said Speaker Batchelder. “He is truly a public servant who understands what it means to respect the public purse and keep our government transparent.”

“It is truly an honor to be recognized by Auditor Yost and to receive this award,” Representative Stautberg said. “As a staunch fiscal conservative, I believe that one of the most important things we can do to promote sound fiscal policy is keep spending under control and ensure that every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely.”

State Representative Mike Duffey today announced that SuperGames, a central Ohio nonprofit employer and leader in inflatable rentals, educational services and team building, would keep its headquarters in Worthington, Ohio following the elimination of duplicative state regulation impacting the company as well as recent outreach from the City of Worthington.

Rep. Duffey worked with SuperGames Director Gary Moore to address the problem after it came to the attention of Jeff Harris, economic development manager for the City of Worthington.

“The problem was when SuperGames set up inflatables at locations like university campuses, they were being charged inspection fees twice for exactly the same activity,” said Duffey. “It was hurting SuperGames and our job retention efforts in Worthington.”

To achieve this change, Rep. Duffey worked with Lt. Governor Mary Taylor’s office – CSI Ohio: The Common Sense Initiative – to eliminate duplicative regulation. Department of Agriculture regulated amusement rides as a core function, while Department of Commerce re-regulated them through the Ohio Building Code.

CSI investigated the issue and, after reviewing state law, determined that the equipment should be regulated only as amusement rides, so the Department of Agriculture will now be the sole agency overseeing inflatable amusements. The Department of Commerce will no longer regulate them.

“We appreciate the efforts of State Representative Mike Duffey,” said Gary Moore, Director of SuperGames. “By eliminating unnecessary red tape, SuperGames will be able to invest our savings in our staff, equipment and operations, and that will support job creation. We are a nonprofit employer, but we are doing our best to provide a good service and jobs at the same time.”

CSI Ohio was launched on January 10, 2011 by Gov. John R. Kasich to reform Ohio’s regulatory policies to help make Ohio a jobs and business-friendly state. CSI Ohio reviews and eliminates excessive and duplicative rules and regulations that stand in the way of job creation.

Do you know how government is spending your money? Do you think that has anything to do with job creation? I certainly do, and I want you to know why.

Last fall, the two comments I heard from residents most often were “focus on jobs” and “reduce government spending.” That’s exactly what I’ve worked on in my first six months in the legislature.

I was the primary sponsor of House Bill 1, which created JobsOhio and passed with bipartisan support in both chambers, including a majority of Democrats in the Ohio Senate. As the bill number implies, HB1 was the first measure we pursued, reflecting the priority we place on job creation.

JobsOhio’s board now includes some of the state’s most respected civic and business leaders, including Gordon Gee, president of The Ohio State University, and Bob McDonald, CEO of Procter & Gamble, a company that ranked 5th in Fortune Magazine’s “Most Admired Companies” list for 2011.

Once the state’s transition to JobsOhio is implemented, Ohio will benefit from the flexibility to respond quickly to the demands of national and international economies. This speed and flexibility means more jobs for Ohioans, and that definitely is a good thing.

Here in Ohio, we have an aggregate tax burden (state and local) that is higher than many peer states and therefore hurts our job growth. Simply put, this tax burden makes Ohio less competitive.

Worse, our per capita income has been steadily dropping relative to the other 49 states over the past several decades. This makes the burden of individual taxpayers all the more difficult.

Finally, there is Ohio’s lost decade. From 2001 to the end of 2010, Ohio lost more than 600,000 jobs, many of them to our Midwestern neighbors in Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky.

Nevertheless, we can’t just cut taxes alone. We have a variety of important, even critical, services that tax revenue provides: Medicaid, public education, higher education, police and safety services, parks and recreation, to name a few. These are not just services, but also factors in job growth, as several of these services relate to the overall quality of life and attractiveness of our state.

So how do we reduce Ohio’s tax burden without sacrificing these vital public services? The answer is greater efficiency, reduced waste and a more focused mission. We need to do more with less.

And this is how governmental spending relates to job growth. By increasing our efficiency, we can reduce spending, reduce taxes and increase job growth. It’s a win-win as they say, but it’s certainly not as easy as it sounds. It takes creative ideas to improve our efficiency.

Fortunately, the Ohio House is making an effort to do more with less. Here are just two examples:

House Bill 2 – we can save significant money by auditing our state agencies. HB2—which I cosponsored—requires the Auditor of State to conduct performance audits on a biennial basis. In 2005, the state of Washington identified more than $4 billion in waste, and I believe that examining Ohio’s agencies has the potential to provide similar savings. The companion bill to this legislation was signed in April and is now law.

House Bill 66 – The Ohio House also took a crucial step by creating a fraud and abuse reporting system through which public employees and citizens can anonymously report misuse of taxpayer dollars. I was proud to cosponsor this bill, which extends whistle-blower protections to state employees who issue a complaint through this system. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, 50 percent of government fraud is discovered through tips.

The bottom line is that every dollar counts. If we can make our government leaner and more effective without compromising the high-quality services that our citizens rely on, it is important that we do so. House Bills 2 and 66 are common-sense concepts that will provide much-needed government transparency at a time when accountability is more important than ever.

As we seek to produce job growth in Ohio, it’s important to remember the connection between our overall efficiency as a state, our aggregate tax burden and our attractiveness for new jobs.

If you have ideas on how to reinvent the State of Ohio, please send me an email, write me a letter or call my office. I can be reached at district21@ohr.state.oh.us, State Representative Mike Duffey, 77 South High Street, 13th Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43215 or 614.644.6030.

State Representatives Dave Burke (R-Marysville) and Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City) recently introduced legislation that, when enacted, would streamline state spending and save significant tax dollars.

House Bill 264 would implement the recommendations of the Sunset Review Committee by terminating, transferring or renewing various boards, commissions or committees. The committee, after an extensive two-year review of more than 275 such boards and commissions, has recommended the termination of more than 80 commissions based on criteria including cost effectiveness, transparency and redundancy.

Additionally, House Bill 264 would provide for the committee’s activities to recommence in 2015 during the 131st General Assembly.

"A more effective government starts with elimination of ineffective or no longer needed functions,” Burke said. “This bill ends some of the needless spending on boards and commissions which no longer serve a purpose to the state or taxpayer."

“As we look to how we can manage government in the most efficient manner, this legislation is important to demonstrate our continued fiscal responsibility in the operation of Ohio,” Grossman said.

House Bill 264 will now be assigned to a House committee, where it will undergo further consideration and debate.

After more than 60 hours of testimony and more than 200 witnesses over a period of nearly two months, Senate Bill 5 today passed from the Ohio House of Representatives. This legislation restores fairness for Ohio’s taxpayers and helps prevent mass layoffs of dedicated public employees by giving local governments the flexibility to manage their own finances.

“Today, this House has taken an unprecedented step toward public policy that respects all Ohioans, especially our taxpayers and our hardworking middle class,” said Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina). “Senate Bill 5 protects the collective bargaining rights of Ohioans while also giving local governments an additional tool in the toolbox as they balance their budgets. Truly the most important thing we can do is ensure that our public services remain of the highest quality and that we give employers the ability to maintain and reward their employees—rather than resorting to mass layoffs due to ironclad contracts.”

The House version also removes the use of ticket quotas to determine performance-based pay for law enforcement officials, eliminates automatic union deductions without written consent, and prohibits “fair share” fee penalties as a requirement to be a non-union member within an organization. Additionally, under certain conditions, labor disputes may be settled by voters at the ballot, with last best offers of each bargaining party considered and resolved by Ohio’s taxpayers.

“In this bill, we have successfully maintained the bargaining rights of our communities’ most important public workers—those who educate our children, protect our families and homes, and keep our neighborhoods clean and thriving,” said State Representative Joe Uecker (R-Loveland), who serves as chairman of the House Commerce and Labor Committee. “At the same time, we’ve updated Ohio’s collective bargaining law, which for nearly three decades has rampantly expanded and put an undue strain on our local governments. We have found a delicate balance that will respect the taxpayers, save state and local jobs, and improve the public services we rely on each day.”

To specifically advance the quality of education in Ohio’s classrooms and reward teachers, S.B. 5 establishes standard state guidelines to determine educators’ compensation and other terms of employment. While 50 percent of educator evaluations must be based on student performance as developed by the Ohio Department of Education, local school boards have the authority to establish objective measures related to quality of instructional practice, communication and professionalism, parent/student satisfaction, and other relevant factors.

State Representatives Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) and Andy Thompson (R-Marietta) today gathered with other statewide leaders as Senate Bill 2, which establishes the Common Sense Initiative, was signed into law by Governor John Kasich.

Roegner and Thompson introduced companion legislation, House Bill 94, in the Ohio House of Representatives to reform Ohio’s regulatory environment and encourage business growth within the state. The Common Sense Initiative Office will weigh the cost versus the benefit of any given regulation in order to establish a business-friendly environment in Ohio. Senate Bill 2 will also require each agency to establish customer service standards and integrate them into operations and performance evaluations.

“One of the ways that the General Assembly can help the economy is to create a climate that is friendly and inviting to businesses,” Roegner said. “A key component to a friendly business climate is a regulatory environment that is well balanced and defined by common sense. I’m very pleased that Senate Bill 2 passed with strong bipartisan support for the people of Ohio.”

“Today was a great day for the state of Ohio,” said Thompson. “With Governor Kasich and our colleagues in the Senate, we are working to create jobs for our communities and help our small businesses succeed. This is just one of the many economy-focused initiatives that we will be pursuing over the coming months.”

State Representatives Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) and Andy Thompson (R-Marietta) today announced the passage of Senate Bill 2 from the Ohio House of Representatives by a vote of 81-14. This legislation—sponsored by Senator Jim Hughes (R-Clintonville)—is companion legislation to House Bill 94, which would adopt a new small business rule review procedure by defining a process of regulatory reform.

“I am very pleased that the Senate’s companion bill to legislation that Rep. Thompson and I introduced received such widespread support in the House,” said Roegner. “It is very encouraging that this legislative body is taking smart steps toward making Ohio’s government more conducive to businesses and economic growth.”

Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 94 outline the role of the Common Sense Initiative (CSI) Office, which was established through Governor John Kasich’s Executive Order 2011-01K to evaluate all regulations from any state governmental agency. The CSI Office will determine if a particular regulation has an adverse effect on businesses by assessing all new rules, while also reevaluating existing rules when they come up for periodic review.

“Promoting state policies that will encourage—not hinder—business expansion and job creation is one of the most important things we can accomplish during this General Assembly,” said Thompson. “As a small business owner, this continues to be one of my top priorities, and the passage of Senate Bill 2 is a vital step.”

Senate Bill 2 creates the CSI Office and a corresponding Small Business Advisory Council to advise the governor on the adverse impacts that proposed rules might have on small businesses. These functions, established under the Governor’s Office, consolidate existing areas of government and will require no additional state money to begin.

Senate Bill 2 now moves to the governor for his signature.

House Bill 2, which will help make state spending more efficient and accountable, today passed unanimously from the Ohio House of Representatives by a vote of 97-0. This legislation will require the Ohio Auditor of State to conduct performance audits of at least four state agencies each biennium, beginning with the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

State Representatives Todd Snitchler (R-Uniontown) and Peter Stautberg (R-Anderson Twp.), who jointly sponsored this bill, have strongly advocated for the biennial evaluation of state-funded agencies as a way to help save tax dollars and reduce wasteful spending.

“When the State of Washington conducted a similar audit, the state identified nearly $4 billion in potential savings,” said Snitchler. “With an $8 billion budget deficit that must be filled, House Bill 2 is just one piece of the complex puzzle that lawmakers must solve over the coming months. If we have the opportunity to trim millions of dollars in waste and inefficiency from the state budget, we should capitalize on this idea and the possible cost savings we can find.”

Performance audits provide a comprehensive report on the efficiency and effectiveness of a government agency or operation, offering recommendations for improvement and potential cost savings. This is achieved by comparing an agency’s performance to benchmarks set by similar operations and peer-group standards. Results of a performance audit can be used to improve the effectiveness of operations, save taxpayer dollars and make better use of existing resources.

“I’m pleased that this common-sense bill finally passed out of the House, because we are just one step closer to a more efficient, transparent and accountable state government,” said Stautberg. “This is a worthwhile effort that will shed light on any outdated or ineffective programs that are bogging down our state government. As elected officials, we have an obligation to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ money and ensure that we are not squandering tax dollars.”

The legislation, which was originally introduced in March 2009 of the 128th General Assembly, was crafted in concert with former Auditor Mary Taylor and current Auditor Dave Yost. Since the beginning of 2007, the Auditor of State’s office has conducted more than 100 audits on local governments, recommending nearly $169 million in annual cost savings and translating to a potential return on investment of $24 for every dollar spent to conduct an audit.

To fund the audits, the bill establishes the $1.5 million Leverage for Efficiency, Accountability and Performance Fund (L.E.A.P.), through which the auditor will advance costs of a performance audit to state agencies and local governments. Costs will be repaid from next year’s savings, which would in turn be used to fund a new round of performance audits. L.E.A.P. funding will be appropriated from the Auditor of State’s current budget.

House Bill 2 will now move to the Ohio Senate for further debate and deliberation.

Following debate and deliberation on the House floor, Amended Substitute House Bill 1 passed from the Ohio House of Representatives with bipartisan support. The legislation, which passed with bipartisan support by a vote of 60-35, creates a non-partisan economic development entity called JobsOhio to strengthen Ohio’s ability to create, attract and retain jobs and business growth.

“Today marks a new era for the state of Ohio,” said Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina). “JobsOhio will make our state competitive in the national economy by bringing the expertise of successful business owners to Columbus. There is no one who is more able to create jobs than someone who knows firsthand what it means to create jobs or manage a business.”

As passed by the Ohio House, Am. Sub. H.B. 1 includes a number of revisions that were incorporated by the Ohio Senate, including changes to improve transparency, ethics and accountability. Among many other revisions, Senate amendments include provisions that prevent public and private funds from being combined at JobsOhio; prohibit directors of JobsOhio to vote on an issue if they face a conflicting interest; adopt the Ohio Ethics Commission’s recommended language with regard to financial disclosure requirements; prohibit bribery of JobsOhio board members and employees; prohibit elected officials and state employees from representing private interests to JobsOhio; and prohibit JobsOhio from making political contributions.

“I’m very pleased with the Senate’s changes to House Bill 1 and believe that these amendments will strengthen our efforts to make JobsOhio efficient, effective and accountable,” said Batchelder.

Having received the approval of both the House and Senate, Am. Sub. H.B. 1 will now move to the Governor’s Office for the governor’s signature.

Anyone who has ever cleaned out his or her car, looked under some couch cushions or cleared out an old junk drawer knows that a bit of pocket change here and there can add up to quite a bit of money. In these desperate times as a state, I believe that our government officials must take this idea and see to it that we are saving our pennies on the state level.

This is a critical time for Ohio. In an effort to turn our sour economy around, it’s important that our state Legislature enact solutions that are innovative enough to make a real difference. Saying that we will create jobs and cut spending is certainly the right idea, but the devil is in the details.

That’s why I am supporting a number of ideas that my legislative colleagues at the House of Representatives have recently put into legislation. These are exceptional bills that are certain to be a positive step in overcoming our financial turmoil.

One of the bills is House Bill 2, which will go a long way in eliminating millions of dollars in wasteful government spending. The bill would require the Ohio Auditor of State to conduct a performance audit of select state agencies every two years. Not only will this effort make the agencies more efficient, but it will save taxpayers a lot of money.

At a time when the state must be spending frugally, I want you to have the peace of mind of knowing that your money is not being wasted due to a bureaucratic system that is not operating as well as it could and should. Auditing these agencies will help us in the short term as well as the long term, ensuring that our families and businesses will not be hindered by higher tax rates and disorganized government in the future.

Another recently introduced bill is House Bill 17, which is also aimed at helping families and businesses. The bill allows for a $2,400 income tax withholding credit for an employer who hires and employs an individual who was previously unemployed. I believe that efforts such as this one, in conjunction with other job-focused bills, will produce the results that revitalize our economy.

The goal of House Bill 17 is to put people back to work, which is certainly one of my top goals for the 129th General Assembly. It also eases the financial strain that our businesses are currently facing, allowing them to grow and add employees. When more people are employed, they are better able to take care of their families. And when our families are strengthened, our state and its economy are strengthened as well.

As your representative, I will continue to keep you in the loop as we make the decisions necessary to save Ohio’s dollars. It is my hope that many more of these positive measures will be coming our way in the future.

Am. Sub. House Bill 1, which creates a non-profit economic development organization called JobsOhio, today passed from the Ohio House of Representatives by a vote of 59-37. Its passage marks a crucial step toward fostering a more responsive business climate in the state of Ohio.

“The JobsOhio plan is a common-sense response to an increasingly cutthroat national and international economy,” said Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina). “Unlike government agencies, the privatized JobsOhio will have the ability to keep up with other private businesses and adapt to rapidly changing economic conditions. I’m pleased that this legislation passed from the House and is one step closer to dramatically improving the way Ohio does business.”

Am. Sub. House Bill 1 authorizes the creation of the nine-member board, with the governor as chairman and eight business leaders who understand the private sector. Six members must be Ohio residents, leaving room for two members with a national business perspective.

The legislation also calls for a six-month review of the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD), which is a $1.2 billion state entity with approximately 400 employees—only about 15 percent of whom directly assist job creation. According to the bill, the director of ODOD is obligated to evaluate all duties within the department and submit recommendations to improve the department’s efficiency to the General Assembly.

“I’m disappointed that my colleagues across the aisle couldn’t join us in turning around Ohio’s bleak economy and stepping outside of the status quo,” said State Rep. Mike Duffey (R-Worthington), who sponsored the legislation. “I truly believe that there will be nothing more effective in boosting economic development than enlisting the help of people who know firsthand how to create jobs. In order to get Ohio back in the national competition for jobs, we need a strong slate of business-savvy individuals to get our state back on the right track and a state government structure that encourages economic growth.”

Am. Sub. House Bill 1 now moves to the Ohio Senate, where it will undergo further consideration and debate.

The 129th Legislature is well underway, and there is certainly no shortage of challenges to address over the next two years. This General Assembly, I have been honored with the privilege of serving as the assistant majority whip of the House majority caucus, which will give me the opportunity to serve in a leadership role during one of the most crucial times in Ohio’s history.

It’s no secret that Ohio’s economy and business climate has been declining over the past few decades, a distressing trend that continues today. Before we are able to stop the steady flow of economic activity from our borders, we first need to consider which aspects of our business climate are causing Ohio to fall behind. Although we cannot entirely blame any one factor, we can certainly agree that all these factors together have made Ohio unable to keep up in the race for jobs. Now is the time to start addressing these hurdles that are blocking our economic success.

Even though the 129th General Assembly has only been in session for about a month now, members of the Ohio House have been working diligently to craft, introduce and fine-tune legislation to address Ohio’s economic woes. Many of these bills have the potential to motivate our citizens to remain within our borders and start a family, launch a business or retire.

One factor that has contributed to Ohio’s out-migration of hundreds of thousands of citizens is our burdensome estate tax, also known as the “death tax.” For more than 40 years, Ohio’s death tax has taken direct aim at our middle class, especially small business owners, farmers and homeowners. Today, our estate tax exemption is the lowest in the entire nation at $338,333, compared with an average exemption of about $2 million for the other 16 states that levy this tax.

To address the harmful repercussions of this tax, Rep. Jay Hottinger and I introduced House Bill 3 earlier this month to repeal Ohio’s estate tax and more closely align our tax code with those of other states. Thirty-three other states do not have an estate tax, and it is long overdue that we make an effort to revamp our tax code so we can compete nationally and globally. We cannot afford to give businesses another reason to leave our state for better tax climates, and I truly believe that repealing the estate tax is a vital first step.

I also cosponsored legislation that would ensure that Ohio’s government is operating as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. House Bill 2, which was introduced by Reps. Todd Snitchler and Peter Stautberg, would compel the Ohio Auditor of State to conduct biennial performance audits of state agencies. These audits would identify inefficient or outdated programs while allowing the state to regularly evaluate the practicality of state-funded agencies, which I fully support as we face a difficult budget in which every dollar must be spent judiciously. I think that this is a worthwhile effort that should be taken advantage of even in a good economy, but it is a necessity during a difficult economy.

It may be easy to rely on entrenched spending habits and a long-established status quo, but it is much more rewarding to examine how our government is running and what we can do to make structural improvements. There will always be naysayers who fear the consequences of stepping outside of their comfort zones, daring to break the mold of the past. But the truth is, we live in a highly competitive—and highly mobile—national economy in which packing up and crossing over into a border state is relatively simple. And with hundreds of thousands of Ohioans speaking with their feet and fleeing our state, we need to finally do what inevitably needs to be done.

The question is, how much longer will Ohio be able to stand on its own two feet before our reliance on high taxes drive out the rest of our entrepreneurs and businesses to neighboring states? It’s important that we never discover the answer to this question.

COLUMBUS—Am. Sub. House Bill 1 today passed out of the Finance and Appropriations Committee, which marks a crucial step toward a more efficient and responsive economic development effort in Ohio. It will require the governor of Ohio to establish a nine-member, non-profit corporation called JobsOhio, envisioned to be a cutting-edge economic development entity tasked with business recruitment, job creation and job training within the state.

“During the past decade, Ohio has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs, and it’s clear that we need to explore more effective options for growing jobs in our state,” said the chairman of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, State Rep. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster). “We need leadership that understands how business works and knows what companies look for in a state business climate. I believe that JobsOhio will help establish a better environment for job creation.”

Am. Sub. House Bill 1 also instructs the director of the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) to evaluate all functions and duties within the department and submit recommendations to improve the department’s functioning and efficiency to the General Assembly. It does not abolish ODOD but instead calls for six months of study, during which all interested parties can participate before further legislative action is pursued.

“Through the passage of this legislation, Ohio will be able to field a top-flight economic development team that speaks the language of business and moves at the pace of today’s global economy,” said Rep. Mike Duffey (R-Worthington), who is the sponsor of House Bill 1. “The slow, bureaucratic pace of state government is simply not able to keep up in an increasingly competitive and mobile economy. We need to make sure that the people leading our economic development efforts understand business and job creation and can help Ohio compete in the 21st century.”

Am. Sub. House Bill 1 will now move to the House floor, where it is expected receive a vote by the full chamber next week.

COLUMBUS—State Representatives Todd Snitchler (R-Uniontown) and Peter Stautberg (R-Anderson Twp) today offered sponsor testimony before the House State Government and Elections Committee regarding legislation to reduce government waste and make state spending more effective. Auditor of State Dave Yost appeared in committee and testified today in support of the bill.

Snitchler and Stautberg are the primary sponsors of House Bill 2, which would require the Ohio Auditor of State to conduct a performance audit of state agencies on a biennial basis. The purpose of these audits is to regularly evaluate the efficiency and practicality of certain state-funded agencies, eliminate wasteful spending and implement best practices, which would save tax dollars and provide more cost-effective services to vulnerable Ohioans.

“The goal of House Bill 2 is to improve state operations by making our government more efficient, and save the taxpayers’ money,” said Snitchler. “As we face a looming budget deficit of $8 billion, it is important to make sure that we are not wasting tax dollars. This bill is a medium and long-term solution to fixing Ohio’s spending problems. This is a vital step toward ensuring that we are not suffocating families and businesses with unnecessarily high tax rates and a disorganized government.”

“By reviewing the operation of state agencies and their delivery of services, we will help ensure the Ohio taxpayers get the best return on their investment,” said Stautberg.

The legislation, which was originally introduced in March 2009 of the previous General Assembly, was crafted in concert with former Auditor Mary Taylor and current Auditor Dave Yost.

“House Bill 2 is an important cornerstone to getting the spending and actions of our various state agencies under control,” said Rep. Bob Mecklenborg (R-Cincinnati), who serves as chairman of the State Government and Elections Committee. “I am pleased that this bill will be working its way through the House State Government Committee, and I look forward to shepherding the bill through the process.”

Wednesday’s sponsor testimony constitutes the first hearing of House Bill 2 in committee.