With a goal of making the Buckeye state more small business friendly, Ohio lawmakers proposed H.B. 115 and S.B. 1 to pare down regulatory burdens. The proposed bills would require state agencies to reduce their rules and regulations by 30 percent by 2022. If passed, agencies wanting to propose a new regulation will need to remove two.
“It’s good and important to have rules and regulations in place for the safety and well-being of our citizens,” said state Rep. Craig S. Riedel, a co-sponsor of H.B. 115. “I think it’s also safe to say we’ve gone beyond that, and that because of the excessiveness, it’s a drag on our economy. Maybe it is going to take some extra time, and maybe it is going to cost us a little bit more money to staff up and do these things. … Even if it does cost the state of Ohio some money to accomplish our goal, to me, it’s money well spent, and it’s a great investment in our state because in the end that will all get paid back tenfold. It’ll all come back in spades to the state.”
Chris Ferruso, NFIB Legislative Director for Ohio, said regs are helpful, but can be burdensome to small businesses.
“We recognize the need to have in place rules and regulations that provide for the health, safety, and welfare of all Ohioans,” Ferruso said. “We all want clean air and water as well as safe workplaces and appropriate consumer protections. However, there is a necessary balance to ensure our small businesses are not faced with undue regulatory burdens. We believe House Bill 115 will foster a positive evaluation of Ohio’s regulatory scheme and hopefully reduce obstacles to our members’ operations.”
