Letter to the editor in the Westlake Bay Village Observer (8/9/2011)
Ohio House has maintained a focus on jobs, small businesses
by Nan Baker

As chairwoman of the House Economic and Small Business Development Committee, I have made it my top priority to foster economic development and job creation within the state of Ohio and the 16th District. With many Ohioans continuing to look for employment, they may be interested to hear of some of the initiatives that this Legislature has pursued in order to improve the job climate in Ohio.

The first bill that was passed by the House and signed into law was House Bill 1, which establishes the lean, responsive JobsOhio as an economic development entity that will create jobs without the sluggish constraints of bureaucracy or red tape.

Since the passage of H.B. 1, the House has looked at ways to help small businesses succeed so that they can grow, invest in our communities and create more jobs.

As a business owner, I wholeheartedly supported Senate Bill 2, which creates the Common Sense Initiative as a way to examine state regulations and ensure that they do not shackle our small businesses’ success.

Our efforts to improve the way Ohio does business has gained the recognition of CNBC, which boosted Ohio’s ranking in America’s top states for business 2011. We have been distinguished as the nation’s most improved state, jumping up 11 spots in terms of cost of doing business, and nine spots overall.