Ohio licensing reform effort applauded by research group

(The Center Square) – While House Bill 6, health orders and stand your ground legislation got most of the attention from the Ohio General Assembly as the year came to a close, an independent group is applauding efforts to scale back government regulations.

Last week, the Ohio Senate passed a bill that eliminated requirements for a number of occupational licenses and reduced training requirements for others. That, according to The Buckeye Institute, should help Ohioans begin careers and create stronger economic footing for individuals.

“The Ohio Senate deserves applause for moving good occupational licensing reform forward by eliminating the requirement for a number of unnecessary licenses and reducing training requirements for others,” Greg R. Lawson, research follow at The Buckeye Institute, said. “This initial review of Ohio’s burdensome licensing regime, which was championed by The Buckeye Institute, will help many Ohioans start new careers and move up the ladder of economic success.

“While more can be done to eliminate employment barriers – including embracing universal occupational license recognition – the policies in House Bill 442 are a small, but important step in the right direction to end Ohio’s permission-slip policies.”

In early December, the legislature passed a bill that trimmed government regulation to help businesses across the state. The effort, according to outgoing Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof, R-Medina, was a four-year process.

Obhof pointed to Ohio’s long list of regulations, saying the state has more than 100,000 more regulations than other states, and those create issues for small businesses. And, he said the legislation would change the daily work for regulators to discover ways to end government red tape, rather than searching for new regulations.

“This is perhaps the most sweeping regulatory reform in modern Ohio history,” Obhof said. “Now, we all know that some regulations are necessary for health and safety and the environment, but many of these restrictions create unnecessary hurdles for Ohio’s small businesses. We don’t need 100,000 more regulations than other states.”