The Regional Chamber’s legislative and public policy updates offer the latest news and views on local, state and federal issues affecting the business community in the Youngstown/Warren metro area.
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Topic | Description |
| Ohio Senate Study Group: Private Workers Comp System May Be Feasible |
- An Ohio Senate study group report suggests that a partially privatized Ohio's workers' compensation system could reduce employers' insurance premiums, although not all committee members agreed with th
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| NLRB Proposes Rule Requiring Right-to-Unionize Notice |
- On December 21, 2010, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) proposed a new rule that would require employers to notify workers of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), includ
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| New BWC Director To Look at Privatization and Lower Benefits |
- Steve Bueher, who will take over as director of the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation in January, says he will look at efforts to partially privatize the system, and looks forward to the recommendat
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| BWC Approves Cut in Premiums Effective July 1, 2010 |
- The Board of Directors of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation have approved rule changes that decrease overall private employer premium rates by 3.9% beginning July 1, 2010. The upcoming rate cut
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| Small Business Regulation Bill Set For House-Senate Discussions |
- Legislation to ease regulations on small businesses in Ohio looks like it is moving to a House-Senate conference committee. State Rep. Ron Gerberry of Austintown, D-59th, House State Government Commit
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| Supreme Court Upholds Workers’ Comp Limits in Ohio |
- The Ohio Supreme Court has upheld as constitutional a 2005 Ohio law that limits the ability of injured workers to sue their employers for a "workplace intentional tort" in addition to receiving worker
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| Prevailing Wage Penalties |
- In March 2010, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in Bergman v. Monarch Construction Co. that employers who fail to pay prevailing wage must pay penalties equal to the amount of back pay a plaintiff can rec
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| Ohio Energy Gateway Fund Launched |
- Gov. Ted Strickland has launched the Ohio Energy Gateway Fund, a public-private partnership intended to expand access to capital to grow and sustain the fuel cell, solar, wind and energy storage indus
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| Ohio House Passes Insurance Mandates |
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This week (week of Dec. 7), the Ohio House passed two new health insurance mandates. The bills will require insurance coverage for autism treatments and diabetes supplies and equipment, according
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| Prevailing-Wage Lawsuit Tossed Out |
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Ohio has lost a prevailing-wage lawsuit that the attorney general's office filed against a large developer just before Labor Day. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David E. Cain told the state th
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| Ohio Chamber Seeks Action on Federal Health Care Legislation |
- Members of the U.S. Senate have started the debate on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — debate that will likely last for a few weeks. While the Senate’s proposal is better than legislat
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| Ohio Senate OKs Study on Private Competition for Workers' Compensation |
- The Ohio Senate has adopted a resolution to study the feasibility of allowing employers an option to obtain private insurance to meet mandates under Ohio’s workers’ compensation system. The resolution
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| Ohio Rules on Prevailing Wage Changed |
- Gov. Ted Strickland has changed his administration’s rules regarding the payment of prevailing wage in construction projects that use public funds. The Ohio Department of Commerce said the changes wer
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| Ohio Department of Commerce No Longer Following Prevailing Wage Guidelines |
- At the OEDA's Annual Summit, Ohio Department of Commerce Director Zurz announced that the recent Ohio Supreme Court ruling meant that the Department would no longer be following the Prevailing Wage Gu
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| U.S. Chamber Official Warns That Cap and Trade Bill Will Destroy Jobs |
- The climate change bill currently being pushed through Congress will cause a significant amount of pain for American businesses and will kill jobs while making little to no difference on global carbon
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| Compromise Health Care Bill Still Bad for Employers |
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After two weeks of intense negotiations, the House Energy and Commerce Committee on July 31, 2009 voted out a compromise health care reform bill that would exempt more small businesses from a empl
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| Ohio to Purchase More Biobased Products |
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Ohio is moving toward implementing a federal biobased purchasing program. Recently introduced legislation would require state agencies and public colleges and universities to give purchasing prefe
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