OHIOCHAMBER.COM JULY/AUGUST 2016 GET INFORMED. 1 Business success during truncated legislative session Ohio legalizes medical marijuana Unemployment compensation solution reached SHARE SUCCESS. 4 Ohio Chamber publishes 131st General Assembly voting record Ohio Chamber PAC endorses O’Connor, Fischer and DeWine for Ohio Supreme Court The physics of wellness at work Attorney General alerts Ohioans about scams through “Ohio Protects” An Ofcial Publication of The Ohio Chamber of Commerce STAY CONNECTED. 7 New overtime regulation brings changes Succeeding from an informed perspective BUSINESS SUCCESSES DURING TRUNCATED LEGISLATIVE SESSION Through the first four months of allow community colleges to ofer 2016, perhaps the biggest story bachelor’s degrees in as many as coming out of the state capital was 10 disciplines or subject areas. not a particular policy achievement, The bill is currently in the Higher but rather the presidential candidacy Education subcommittee of the of Ohio Gov. John Kasich. While the House Finance Committee. governor did not secure the GOP presidential nomination, the fact HB 383 would achieve another that he was an active candidate until long-standing objective of the As expected, several pieces of QUICK GLANCE May 4 contributed, at least in part, Ohio Chamber, making a one- legislation addressing one or more to a relatively slow beginning to the semester course in financial literacy of these recommendations were second year of the two-year General a requirement for high school Chamber supports education and subsequently introduced. Although Assembly session. graduation in Ohio. HB 383 has workforce development bills passed the House and is in the no bills have advanced out of However, the pace picked up Senate Education Committee. committee so far, when legislators Recommendations made on significantly in May, culminating return this fall, the Ohio Chamber renewable energy and efciencies in the passage of some important ENERGY AND will continue to push the legislature legislation in the final days prior ENVIRONMENT to enact further reforms that would Health care mandate bills to the General Assembly finishing Last fall, a legislative study protect Ohio employers from the awaiting votes its first half of legislative activity committee issued its report escalating costs associated with on May 25. Here are the highlights containing recommendations these energy mandates. HB 390 to save employers from the first part of the year. Read for further legislative action $400 million the full story online by clicking on regarding Ohio’s existing renewable HEALTH CARE In Ohio, one-size-fits-all Small claims award amounts the Wrap-Up link on our website energy and energy efciency government mandates never go increase from $3,000 to $6,000 at http://ohiochamber.com/ mandates. The committee made away. At least a half-dozen bills – issuesandlegislation/legislative- five recommendations, including: which would force health insurance Regulatory reform bills get hearings update. 1) indefinitely postponing the statutorily imposed escalation companies to provide coverage for EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE of these mandates; 2) permitting specific health benefits in all the DEVELOPMENT more commercial and industrial plans they ofer, or limit the amount premiums, they agreed to remove House Bill 474 and House Bill 383 are customers to opt out of paying that covered individuals can be both the mandate and the cost- both supported by the Ohio Chamber for the mandates; 3) letting required to pay for certain benefits sharing limitations. After HB 248 but address diferent aspects of the additional sources of energy count or services, regardless of what that was amended to remove these state’s education and workforce toward benchmark compliance; benefit or service costs — have provisions and the Ohio Chamber development systems. 4) incentivizing energy efciency been introduced. However well withdrew our opposition, it passed improvements; and 5) formally intentioned these mandates may out of committee and currently HB 474 has a provision that would declaring the General Assembly’s be, in the end, they increase the cost awaits a vote by the full House. ofer an alternative pathway for Ohio authority to regulate Ohio’s of health insurance — particularly A second bill containing a health students to obtain a more afordable energy policies. for small businesses — and stifle college education, as it would the plan design flexibility that many insurance mandate has also passed employers rely on to help control out of committee in the House. health care costs. House Bill 350 requires coverage for the screening, diagnosis and Two of these bills have received treatment of autism spectrum significant consideration, although disorder in all grandfathered neither has passed. House Bill plans and group plans ofered to 248 mandated coverage for employers with more than 50 lives. prescription opioid drugs that employ abuse deterrent technology The Ohio Chamber has urged the and would have limited cost- legislature to pursue an alternative sharing requirements for these approach to helping families that more expensive drug formulations. are struggling with the physical, However, once the bill’s sponsors emotional and financial toll of a understood how the bill would have Continued on page 3 resulted in higher health insurance WWW.OHIOCHAMBER.COM 1 They are the candidates who work to make Ohio’s business climate stronger. We all work to build a stronger state. We’re all for Ohio. This year, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee (OCCPAC) will endorse candidates running for the Ohio House, Senate and Supreme Court. Since its inception in 1978, OCCPAC has been a success for both individual candidates and the Ohio business community. This issue highlights OCCPAC’s endorsement of the Ohio Supreme Court candidates. The September/ October issue will highlight Ohio House and Senate endorsements. OCCPAC has helped: • Create a new majority on the Ohio Supreme Court that understands and respects the proper role of the judiciary • Elect dozens of members of the Ohio General Assembly who champion free enterprise and pro-growth policies for the benefit of all Ohioans For more information on how you can support OCCPAC-endorsed candidates, contact Rich Thompson at [email protected] or (614) 228-4201. GET INFORMED. By Samantha Cotten, Director, Public Policy Communications OHIO LEGALIZES MEDICAL MARIJUANA Law maintains robust protections for Ohio employers QUICK GLANCE issue in a more formal setting. Under HB 523: This laid the groundwork for HB 523. Although the Ohio Chamber never Employers don’t have to endorsed the legalization of medical accommodate medical marijuana use. marijuana, our staf worked to make sure the bill contained safeguards for Employees can’t sue for adverse Ohio employers. actions resulting from use. The bill does not interfere with HB 523 included for employers a federal restrictions on employment. number of protections advocated for by the Ohio Chamber. The inclusion of these provisions was crucial in In early June, allowing employers to maintain both Gov. John safety for workers and comprehensive Kasich signed human resources policies. Further, marijuana would be ineligible for into law House the law establishes clear and Our staff worked to unemployment compensation Bill 523, making unambiguous rules that will help benefits if the medical marijuana Ohio the 25th prevent costly legal battles over how make sure the bill use was in violation of an state to legalize medical marijuana will be handled in contained safeguards employer’s drug-free workplace marijuana for the workplace. policy, zero-tolerance policy, medicinal use. Samantha Coten for Ohio employers. or other formal program or However, it has The law contains several critical policy regulating the use of been a long road for the legislature to protections for employers. medical marijuana. get to this point. including Department of • Employers are not required Transportation regulations. • The law reiterates that an The journey began last fall when to permit or accommodate an employee is ineligible for Responsible Ohio’s ballot initiative, employee’s use, possession, or • It does not permit a person to workers’ compensation benefits Issue 3, which would have legalized distribution of medical marijuana. sue an employer for refusing to if the employee was under the marijuana for both medicinal and hire, discharging, disciplining, • Employers are allowed to discharge, influence of marijuana, whether recreational purposes, was soundly discriminating, retaliating, or refuse to hire, discipline or take recommended by a physician or defeated by an Ohio Chamber-led otherwise taking an adverse adverse employment actions not, and being under the influence coalition. Through this process, Ohio employment action against a against an individual with respect was the proximate cause of lawmakers learned that between 70 person with respect to hire, tenure, to tenure, terms, conditions, or the injury. and 80 percent of Ohio’s population terms, conditions, or privileges privileges of employment due to supports medical marijuana in some of employment due to medical the individual’s use, possession, or The Ohio Chamber applauds the form. In response to its constituents, marijuana. distribution of medical marijuana. work of the Ohio Legislature for the legislature began to learn more • The Bureau of Workers’ handling this difcult issue in a about medical marijuana. • Employers can still establish and Compensation