Read about the legislative issues that impact your business.
March 16, 2020
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
During this unprecedented time, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce office is open for business 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Starting on Thursday, March 19, our physical office will have limited staffing at reduced hours. However, our staff will be working remotely. Please know we will continue to provide services to our members so please do not hesitate to reach out to us. The staff directory is on our website . During this time we are in direct contact with the Ohio administration and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and will continue to provide our members with important updates.
PRIMARY, CORONAVIRUS HAVE LEGISLATIVE ACTION ON HOLD

Ohio’s primary election is tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17, and it’s normal for General Assembly activity to slow in the week prior to and the week of the primary, with lawmakers facing primary challenges preferring to be back in their districts campaigning, rather than in Columbus. That’s been the case this year, as well; only a single legislative committee met last week and none are scheduled to meet this week. For a list of our endorsed primary candidates, click here .

Typically, the legislature returns the week following the primary with a full slate of committee hearings and floor sessions. As is the case with every other aspect of our lives, however, the Coronavirus has shattered "typical business" around the Statehouse.

Late last week, both Senate and House leadership directed their staffs to work remotely through at least April 3, with the House also suspending committee hearings and voting sessions until further notice. The Senate’s two scheduled session days during this period, March 25 and March 31, have not yet been canceled.

Whenever lawmakers do return, it still won’t be business as usual. Responding to the Coronavirus and its effects will appropriately take precedent. The Ohio Chamber knows that the outbreak is having a growing impact on businesses and on the Ohio and U.S. economies. That’s why we’re compiling a list of constructive, actionable public policy recommendations to share with policymakers that might help mitigate or remediate any ensuing economic fallout to Ohio employers from the virus.

If you have ideas on what Ohio could do to provide immediate and direct relief to your business or industry, please share them with us by sending them to coronavirus@ohiochamber.com .
STATEMENT ON GOV. DEWINE'S MARCH 15 ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE CLOSING OF RESTAURANTS AND BARS

This was sent to all media and posted on social media Sunday, March 15:

“The Ohio Chamber of Commerce commends the governor for making the difficult decision to close all restaurants and bars across Ohio except for carryout orders. We know this difficult decision was made in consultation with leading health experts, including Dr. Amy Acton, who are recommending actions to keep Ohioans safe during this unprecedented time. We support Governor DeWine’s decision because we believe taking steps now to confront the Coronavirus will ultimately benefit our state by limiting the spread of the disease and enable Ohio to get back to normal sooner.”
OHIO CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION
The Ohio Department of Health has developed a website to educate Ohioans on COVID-19 aka the Coronavirus.
 
The website includes updates from the Center for Disease Control, resources for the public, a video on how to avoid the virus and ways to stay healthy.
 
The website is open to everyone by clicking here .
SHAREDWORK OHIO AVAILABLE TO EMPLOYERS
SharedWork Ohio is an alternative to layoffs for employers experiencing reductions in available work. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce supported the creation of this program. SharedWork allows employers to preserve employees' jobs and retain a trained workforce during difficult economic times by reducing hours to avoid layoffs.

For more information on SharedWork Ohio, click here.
SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
The Ohio Development Services Agency is preparing to submit an application in the coming week to qualify Ohio for the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. This program provides low-interest loans up to $2 million in order to help businesses overcome the temporary loss of revenue during the state of emergency.

Non-profit organizations in Ohio will also be eligible for low-interest loans through the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.

In order to complete the state's application, businesses impacted by the current public health crisis should immediately send their contact information to BusinessHelp@Development.Ohio.gov . Additional information on the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program is available here .
In case you missed our Allforohio.com blogs from last week
WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH CARE, A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL GOVERNMENT SYSTEM ISN'T THE ANSWER
Health care costs are a top concern in just about any recent survey of business leaders. In fact, for 12 consecutive quarters, the cost of health care has been the top issue of concern to business leaders, according to the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation’s Prosperity Pulse , a quarterly survey of business leaders across Ohio.

GET COUNTED
The U.S. Census 2020 season officially begins on April 1, but the far-reaching effects of its results are nothing to joke about. Every year, Ohio receives roughly $34 billion in federal funding based on counts and estimations from the previous Census in 2010.

Contact Ohio Chamber Lobbyists

Keith Lake, Vice President, Government Affairs
Kevin Boehner, Director, Small Business & Workforce Policy
Kevin Shimp, Director, Labor & Legal Affairs
Tony Long, Director, Tax & Economic Policy
Stephanie Kromer, Director, Energy & Environmental Policy