Release:
COLUMBUS—State Representatives Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) and Andy Thompson (R-Marietta) today offered sponsor testimony on House Bill 94 before the Economic and Small Business Development Committee. This legislation would adopt a new small business rule review procedure by defining a process of regulatory reform. Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor also attended the hearing and offered proponent testimony.House Bill 94 outlines the role of the Common Sense Initiative Office (CSI), which was established through Governor John Kasich’s Executive Order 2011-01K to evaluate all regulations from any state governmental agency. The CSI will determine if a particular regulation has an adverse effect on small business by assessing all new rules, while also reevaluating existing rules when they come up for periodic review.“As a small business owner myself, I’m intimately aware of how much time and resources are spent dealing with regulatory compliance,” said Thompson. “The goal of the Common Sense Initiative Office is to reduce or eliminate any negative effect that any given rule would have on business. It will hold each agency accountable and develop customer service standards, which will also be a factor in performance reviews.”“It is extremely important that Ohio’s regulations do not hinder the growth and prosperity of small businesses,” said Roegner. “The CSI will ensure that every regulation is easy to understand, effective, transparent, flexible and well-balanced.”The Common Sense Initiative Office and corresponding Common Sense Initiative Council—which would consist of nine members—would be established in and report to the Office of the Governor. House Bill 94 does not require any appropriation.
