You’re one of Ohio’s manufacturing leaders. You need the latest information on a variety of business issues affecting the industry.
Utilizing a broad array of resources, the OMA continuously updates members with the latest news, trends, and activity that impacts manufacturers and manufacturing stakeholders. Additionally, the OMA’s Government Affairs Committee meets every quarter.
This is just another way the OMA fulfills its mission to protect and grow Ohio manufacturing!
2024 was a banner year for the OMA! From hosting our first ever Washington, D.C. fly-in, to assembling leaders in manufacturing and state government for a phenomenal Leadership Forum, and expanding the OMA’s influence and advocacy across Ohio. Thank you to members who attended events, committees, webinars, and engaged as a community.
Happy Holidays, and onward to 2025! 12/18/2024
Earlier this month, the OMA Board of Directors elected two new members to serve on the OMA’s chief governing body.
Tayte French Lutz serves as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of The French Oil Mill Machinery Company in Piqua, a 4th-generation family-owned U.S. company that custom designs, manufactures. and supports hydraulic press systems.
Patrick McIntyre is the Performance Manufacturing Center lead at Honda Development & Manufacturing of America in Marysville. McIntyre holds a B.A. in Business Management from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and an MBA in Leadership and Supply Chain Management from The Ohio State University.
Congratulations to both Tayte and Patrick! 12/18/2024
The 135th General Assembly, spanning from January 2023 – December 2024, has officially wrapped up, with lawmakers working late into the evening Wednesday to finalize their work on pieces of legislation.
Manufacturers scored several key wins during this final session, including:
The 136th General Assembly will begin on January 6th with new leadership in both the House and Senate. Outgoing Senate President Matt Huffman will lead the House as its next speaker, and current Senate Majority Floor Leader Rob McColley will become the Senate President. The OMA looks forward to continuing to work with these leaders and their teams next year. 12/18/2024
OMA General Counsel Bricker Graydon will be hosting a free webinar on Thursday, Jan. 16, covering a myriad of helpful topics specifically for manufacturers, executives, human resource and risk management professionals, in-house counsel, and engineers.
Presentations will include AI, product liability, consumer protection, the shifting PFAS regulatory climate, and many more. 12/18/2024
At the end of each General Assembly, the legislature enters what most politicos call “Lame Duck” a chaotic slew of committee meetings and voting sessions where legislators rush to pass or stall legislation before the end of the year.
The term “Lame Duck”, as it refers to American politics, was first coined in 1863 in an issue of Congressional Globe. The term compares either legislation that fails to pass or elected officials in their final term to a lame duck, unable to take flight with the rest of its flock.
During this time, legislators scramble to pass their flagship bills, often combining them into bloated conglomerates called “Christmas Tree Bills” in an effort to pass as much legislation as possible, and to avoid having to restart the legislative process in the new year. 12/11/2024
Lawmakers, staff, and parties from around Capitol Square gathered this week for the portrait dedication ceremony for current Senate President and House Speaker-elect Matt Huffman.
Huffman, a Lima native, completes his term as Senate President at the end of the year after serving the last four years as President.
The portrait is commissioned by the Senate and privately funded at zero expense to the taxpayers. 12/11/2024
This week, Jeff Reed from OMA Member American Honda Motor Company testified against House Bill 237, which would reclassify and redefine the registration, usage, and safety requirements of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
In his testimony, Reed emphasized the need for a national definition and regulations on ATVs, and that complying with a patchwork of regulations state to state is overly burdensome for manufacturers.
The OMA joined Reed by submitting written testimony, highlighting concerns about increased compliance costs, supply chain complexities, and uneven regulatory standards that could hinder Ohio’s manufacturing competitiveness. The association encourages further collaboration with stakeholders to address these issues. 12/11/2024
In a highly anticipated decision arising from a certified question from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, on Dec. 10, 2024, the Supreme Court of Ohio held that all common law public nuisance claims arising from the sale of a product have been abrogated by the Ohio Product Liability Act (OPLA). This decision finally gives manufacturers the clarity they have been seeking since at least 2005.
Manufacturers and distributors are most often impacted by product liability and public nuisance lawsuits. This ruling makes clear that claims must be brought under the OPLA.
“We are glad that there is no longer any doubt that plaintiffs must bring claims under the OPLA and cannot circumvent statute,” said OMA’s Lindsey Short, Chairwoman of the Ohio Alliance for Civil Justice. 12/10/2024
This week, the Ohio House approved Senate Bill 63, an OMA-supported bill that would help improve the state’s legal climate. Senate Bill 63 would prevent businesses, including manufacturers, from being over-named in asbestos litigation. The practice of over-naming currently hurts Ohio’s competitiveness because companies improperly named in these lawsuits face higher operating costs or must pay fees to be removed from litigation.
The Ohio Senate must agree to changes made by the House before sending the bill to the Governor’s desk. 12/11/2024
In his report to the Board of Directors of JobsOhio, President J.P. Nauseef recently highlighted, “For the first time in a generation, we’re seeing a reversal of historic out-migration trends, with Ohio ranking among the top 10 states nationally and #1 in the Midwest for net in-migration.”
He went on to note that the influx is strongest among 25 to 44-year-olds attracted by job opportunities and Ohio’s affordable cost of living, with many returning to be closer to family and friends. More about JobsOhio. 12/10/2024
The City of Middletown has put out a public survey for input on the redevelopment of the old Towne Mall site along the I-75 corridor.
With Middletown and the I-75 corridor being a strategic location for shipping and logistics, the city is seeking feedback and comment from manufacturers who could be impacted by the redevelopment. The survey will be open through Sunday, Dec. 15. 12/9/2024
This week, the OMA Board of Directors held its final meeting for 2024 in Columbus. OMA leadership and staff highlighted the critical work accomplished over the quarter and year, touching on the results of the Nov. election, key policy advocacy in the energy, workforce, and human resources areas, and forecasting the OMA’s budget priorities for the 2025 biennial budget.
Staff also highlighted the myriad of events hosted by the OMA this year. Thank you to all who sponsored, attended, and participated in the OMA’s events this year! 12/3/2024
Earlier this week, China announced a ban on exports of the minerals gallium, germanium, and antimony to the U.S., all of which have widespread military applications. The rule also increases the review of end-usage for graphite items shipped to the U.S.
China has curbed the export of these and other critical minerals across the board, but the new restrictions only apply to the U.S. market, further escalating trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies ahead of President-elect Donald Trump taking office next month.
Gallium and germanium are used in semiconductors, while germanium is also used in infrared technology, fiber optic cables and solar cells. Antimony is used in bullets and other weaponry, while graphite is the largest component by volume of electric vehicle batteries. 12/3/2024
This week, the National Association of Manufacturers, the OMA, and over 100 other manufacturing associations sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump highlighting regulatory actions that would boost the manufacturing economy and stop regulatory onslaughts that cost manufacturers $350 billion each year.12/3/2024
Ohio’s Senator-elect Bernie Moreno this week spoke to manufacturers at the OMA’s final Government Affairs committee of the year, detailing his key priorities over the next six years.
Moreno spoke about his plans to help improve government efficiency, including the distribution of CHIPS Act funds, his wish list for committee assignments, and his commitment to Ohio’s manufacturers. 11/21/2024
The Government Affairs committee also heard from former Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Paduchik, who provided a comprehensive analysis of the 2024 election in Ohio.
Paduchik highlighted the GOP’s strong turnout in Ohio and how the state’s political landscape has shifted in the last ten years. Paduchik also covered the defeat of Issue One and credited the OMA as the first trade association to endorse the “No” vote. 11/21/2024
The hotly contested race for Speaker of the House turned out to be anything but this week, starting with current Speaker Jason Stephens dropping out of the race entirely. Despite an 11th-hour potential challenge from Rep. Tim Barhorst being floated, current Senate President Matt Huffman was elected as Speaker with no opposition Wednesday evening.
Huffman’s leadership team in the House will consist of Rep. Gayle Manning as speaker pro tempore, Rep. Phil Plummer as assistant speaker pro tempore, Rep. Marilyn Johns as majority leader, Rep. Adam Bird as assistant majority leader, and four Majority Whips: Reps. Riordan McClain, Nick Santucci, Steve Demetriou, and Josh Williams. 11/20/2024
As the 135th General Assembly comes to a conclusion, state lawmakers in Columbus this week held elections for their leadership teams for the next two years.
The Ohio Senate saw Sen. Rob McColley elected as the next Senate president. The Senate Majority leadership team will consist of Sen. Bill Reineke as president pro tempore, Sen. Theresa Gavarone as majority floor leader, and Sen. George Lang as majority whip.
Senate Democrats unanimously reelected Sen. Nikki Antonio as the minority leader. The Minority Leadership Team will consist of Sen. Hearcel Craig as assistant minority leader; Sen. Kent Smith, minority whip; and Sen.-elect Beth Liston as assistant minority whip.
House Democrats also unanimously reelected Rep. Allison Russo as their minority leader. The Minority Leadership Team will consist of Rep. Dontavius Jarrells as assistant minority leader, Rep. Dani Isaacsohn as minority whip, and Rep. Michele Grim as assistant minority whip. 11/20/2024
The OMA submitted testimony this week in support of Senate Bill 63, which would protect Ohio manufacturers by reducing potential legal costs related to asbestos claims. Specifically, SB 63 would prevent employers from being named as a defendant in asbestos cases without proof of exposure.
The bill passed the Ohio Senate in May and is currently pending in the House Insurance Committee. 11/20/2024
This week, the OMA provided interested party testimony to the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee on Senate Bill 275, sponsored by Sen. Matt Dolan, to create a virtual net-metering mechanism for local generation sited at brownfields and other similarly affected properties.
While the OMA supports the premise of the bill to allow many types of eligible electric generation technologies for virtual net-metering, the current language allows for shifting of benefits. The OMA has suggested that the bill be amended to include language that ensures the savings accrued by a project would go back to the customer whose investment produced the savings. 11/20/2024
