More than 80 business leaders gathered at the Ohio Statehouse for a highly engaging and productive ACAA Day in Columbus, advocating for priorities that impact employers and communities across our region. From property taxes and R&D tax credits to higher education and workforce funding, the day provided an opportunity for members to engage with House and Senate leaders, legislative committee chairs, and Administration officials to discuss the State Operating Budget and legislative priorities for 2025.

Attendees heard from Senate President Rob McColley, Senate Finance Chair Jerry Cirino and State Director of the Office of Budget and Management, Kim Murnieks about key legislative priorities, the operating budget, and 2026 capital budget process. Representative Thomas went deep on property tax reform and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik addressed key economic development priorities, including how Ohio’s TechCred program may evolve to better support high-demand workforce needs. She reinforced that TechCred is not going anywhere, but there will be programmatic changes to make the program sustainable, sharper, and more focused on skills needed to fill in-demand jobs. Representative Jack Daniels talked about his work to drive improvements for business to the Ohio State R&D Tax Credit. Representatives Roemer and Sweeney shared perspectives on the work of the Statehouse and Senator Timken talked about her work to drive education system initiatives and economic development opportunity and support for Akron Canton. Thank you to our speakers for deepening our understanding of the policy landscape and how it directly affects the Akron Canton region’s growth and competitiveness. 

A sincere thank you to all who attended, participated, and supported this year’s event. Your engagement ensures that our region’s priorities are thoughtfully represented at the state level. We look forward to building on the momentum from this year’s conversations!

The House and Senate released formal guidance for the FY 2026-2027 State Capital Budget and application information for those interested in pursuing State Capital Budget Community Project Funding. Applications are now open, with a deadline of March 12, 2026 at noon.

We strongly encourage you complete and submit sooner rather than later and to communicate directly with your legislators about your project. Use this tool to identify your legislators and contact us if you have questions or need assistance.

The House and Senate are using the same forms this year, meaning that you will only need to fill out one form as you prepare to submit to the appropriate state legislators.

The ACAA has been advocating for revisions to the State of Ohio’s R&D tax credit with State Representatives Jack Daniels and Bill Roemer. The current R&D credit offsets the Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) however, this structure provides little utility for a large portion of small businesses given recent changes made to the CAT in the last State Operating Budget. Recently drafted legislation would enable the R&D tax credit to be leveraged against taxes owed on business income, providing a significantly larger portion of Ohio businesses with the ability to utilize the credit.

Additional changes to the credit’s structure are also being considered in order to make our program more competitive with those in neighboring states. The ACAA is committed to keeping our members apprised of progress. If you or any of your clients have experience with this credit (and/or others like it), we would be interested in talking with you!