ALEC: Ohio middle of the pack nationally in ‘pro-growth’ reforms

(The Center Square) – Ohio is third in the East North Central, eighth in the Midwest and 26th in the nation for “pro-growth” reforms, according to a new report from the American Legislative Exchange Council.

ALEC 2025 States That Work: A Labor Policy Roadmap Across America, released Tuesday, considers labor policies – including a 10-point model checklist – and jobs overview in formulating the state rankings. Employment growth, state minimum wage, unions and political landscape are inside the factors.

For jobs, Ohio was 15th for government sector job prevalence, 24th in minimum wage ($10.70), and 38th in average 10-year private sector employment growth (6.97%). Union membership – private 34th, public 36th – numbers did not help the scoring. The Occupational Licensing Review Act and Collateral Consequences Reduction Act did.

“Ohio is a state with promise, but it’s time to turn potential into progress,” said Alan Jernigan, manager of the ALEC Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force. “Without Right to Work and with outdated licensing laws still on the books, too many Ohioans are stuck in bureaucratic quicksand. However, with a growing number of principled leaders in Columbus, there is a bright future on the horizon in the Buckeye State.”

In the 12-state Midwest, Ohio was behind Nebraska (14th), Iowa (15th), Kansas (18th), South Dakota (19th), Indiana (21st), Wisconsin (22nd) and Missouri (23rd).

ALEC bills itself as “America’s largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism. Comprised of nearly one-quarter of the country’s state legislators and stakeholders from across the policy spectrum, ALEC members represent more than 60 million Americans and provide jobs to more than 30 million people in the United States.”