JANUARY 31, 2022
Welcome Rick Carfagna, SVP, to the Ohio Chamber
This week the Ohio Chamber of Commerce CEO Steve Stivers announced the hiring of Rep. Rick Carfagna
(R- Genoa Township) as Senior Vice President for the Ohio Chamber.

In this position, he will be responsible for leading the Chamber’s government affairs team and overseeing the Chamber’s public policy agenda.

“Rick is an outstanding addition to the staff at the Ohio Chamber and we are excited to have him on the team,” Stivers said. “He has extensive experience in management, public policy and politics, which makes him the perfect fit to ensure the Ohio Chamber achieves our aggressive policy goals for the 134th General Assembly and political objectives for the 2022 election cycle and into the future.”

Read our full statement here.
Statehouse Districts Still on Hold
The Ohio Redistricting Commission recently voted 5-2 to adopt new State House District Maps for the Ohio Legislature. The new maps came 10 days after the Ohio Supreme Court found the initial maps adopted by the Commission to be unconstitutional. If the new maps remain unchanged by the Ohio Supreme Court, they will only remain in effect for four years and will need to be redrawn for the 2026 election since the Commission adopted the map on a party-line vote. The filing deadline for candidates to the Ohio General Assembly remains unchanged and is set for February 2, 2022.
BWC Proposed 10 Percent Cut in Workers’ Compensation Premiums
In the BWC Board of Directors Actuarial Committee on Thursday, staff proposed lowering private employer premiums by 10 percent in the next fiscal year. The move is projected to save employers across the state more than $100 million in premiums. These savings are the result of the continued decline in the frequency of on the job injuries that come from employer investments in safety. In fact, over the last 15 years the number of lost time claims has shrunk by nearly 50 percent. 
 
The proposed rate cut follows premium reductions in the previous three years and a record setting $8 billion in dividends in 2020. Before the rate cut is finalized, the BWC Board of Directors will need to approve it at next month's Board meeting and the new rates will take effect on July 1, 2022. 

Read the full blog here.
Ohio Chamber Opposes Forced Unionization Legislation 
On Wednesday, the Ohio Chamber testified in opposition to legislation that would curtail the number of workers who are eligible to work at oil refineries in Ohio. The legislation, HB 235, would prohibit anyone who does not complete a qualifying apprentice program that are only offered by labor unions from working at oil refineries in our state. In the Ohio Chamber’s testimony, we highlighted how this legislation can exacerbate issues such as higher gas prices by hindering the productivity of oil refineries. The legislation also harms Ohio’s economic competitiveness since it shrinks the labor market for oil refineries, increases compliance costs, and subjects companies to costly fines for non-compliance.
 
The legislation is currently pending in the Ohio House Commerce & Labor Committee and the Ohio Chamber will remain committed to preventing the enactment of HB 235. You can read the Ohio Chamber’s testimony here or watch it here.

You can find more information about this legislation on our All for Ohio blog.
Dispatch Editorial on Property Tax Valuation Abuse
The Columbus Dispatch included an editorial penned by Ohio Chamber President and CEO Steve Stivers and Ohio Realtors CEO Scott Williams. The editorial focuses on how the enactment of House Bill 126 will curb abusive practices by local governments that seek to drive up the cost of property taxes for businesses or homeowners through an administrative process that begins at the Board of Revisions. HB 126 is currently winding its way through the legislative process and is before the Ohio House. The Ohio Chamber is advocating for the Ohio House to concur on this important pro-business legislation. You can read the full editorial here.
Ohio Chamber of Commerce | 614-228-4201 | occ@ohiochamber.com