OHIO LEGISLATIVE ALERT Legislation: HB 49. Status: Referred to committee with some hearings held Hearing/Vote: None Points of Contact: Your local Ohio State Representative and Senator, which you can find by visiting: https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislators/find-my-legislators Analysis HB 49 is the Governor’s budget for the fiscal year 2018-2019, and will fund the government for that time period. Buried deep within this bill are two provisions that will significantly impact the practice of nutrition and dietetics in Ohio. The first would dissolve the State Board of Dietetics, and move it under the state medical board. Second, the legislation would empower the Director of the Department of Administrative Services to review and approve, or disapprove, certain board actions that have been referred to the Director by members of the public. Specifically, the Director can take action if the Board is engaging in practices that limit competition, even if authorized by law. This would make it possible for any member of the public to file a complaint about the Board of Dietetics, and potentially have the law invalidated, or more likely, the board frozen and prevented from acting until the law is fixed. This proposal represents our best effort in years to change Ohio for the better. Recommendations This is a major development and we should support this bill in the strongest means possible. Even if the Board of Dietetics is not dissolved, the Department of Administrative Services provision creates a realistic opportunity to force greater change later. Please send the action alert below to local state Representatives and Senators, and consider calling by phone to follow up. SUPPORTER - SAMPLE LETTER TO SEND TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE(S) March 30, 2017 Dear__________: I noted with interest in the Governor’s budget proposal, HB 49, two very important provisions: The first would be to move the Board of Dietetics under the state medical board. The second would empower the Department of Administrative Services Director to review and approve, or disapprove, certain board or commission actions that have been referred to the Director. Specifically, law or actions that enable the members of the occupation the board regulates to engage in anticompetitive conduct that could be subject to antitrust law if undertaken by private persons. As your constituent, I support these and ask that you vote to support them as well. Under current law, only someone who is a dietician may provide any nutrition education, guidance, information, or assessment. This law has done nothing to improve the health for Ohioans, but has furthered a monopoly for dieticians. It’s a one-size-fits-all model that does more harm than good, and has restricted the practice of nutrition to one profession, education, credential and modality. There is absolutely no opportunity for competition. The Board of Dietetics is composed of a majority of dietitians, and the law and its regulations have been written in such a way as to exclude competition, and give a monopoly to this one group over many others. I disagree with this. Everyone should be allowed to practice up to the level of their education and training, which would provide maximum choice for Ohioans, while also increasing employment, reducing healthcare costs, and improving our states’ healthcare system. The practice of nutrition has never harmed anyone. Please support and vote for HB 49 and the aforementioned proposals so we can have honest and open competition in nutrition care, create more jobs, and more opportunities for Ohio. Sincerely, (Your signature here) Ohio House of Representatives Scott Wiggam (R) District 1 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-1474 Email Representative Wiggam Mark J. Romanchuk (R) District 2 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-5802 Email Representative Romanchuk Theresa Gavarone (R) District 3 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-8104 Email Representative Gavarone Robert R. Cupp (R) District 4 77 S. High St 13th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-9624 Email Representative Cupp Timothy E. Ginter (R) District 5 77 S. High St 13th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-8022 Email Representative Ginter Marlene Anielski (R) District 6 77 S. High St 12th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 644-6041 Email Representative Anielski Thomas F. Patton (R) District 7 Majority Whip 77 S. High St 14th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-4895 Email Representative Patton Kent Smith (D) District 8 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-5441 Email Representative Smith, K Janine R. Boyd (D) District 9 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 644-5079 Email Representative Boyd Bill Patmon (D) District 10 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-7954 Email Representative Patmon Stephanie D. Howse (D) District 11 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-1414 Email Representative Howse John Barnes, Jr. (D) District 12 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-1408 Email Representative Barnes Nickie J. Antonio (D) District 13 Minority Whip 77 S. High St 14th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-5921 Email Representative Antonio Martin J. Sweeney (D) District 14 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-3350 Email Representative Sweeney Nicholas Celebrezze (D) District 15 Assistant Minority Leader 77 S. High St 14th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-3485 Email Representative Celebrezze Dave Greenspan (R) District 16 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-0961 Email Representative Greenspan Adam C. Miller (D) District 17 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 644-6005 Email Representative Miller Kristin Boggs (D) District 18 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-1896 Email Representative Boggs Anne Gonzales (R) District 19 77 S. High St 13th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-4847 Email Representative Gonzales Heather Bishoff (D) District 20 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 644-6002 Email Representative Bishoff Mike Duffey (R) District 21 77 S. High St 13th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 644-6030 Email Representative Duffey David Leland (D) District 22 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-2473 Email Representative Leland Laura Lanese (R) District 23 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-9690 Email Representative Lanese Jim Hughes (R) District 24 77 S. High St 13th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614)466-8012 Email Representative Hughes Bernadine Kennedy Kent (D) District 25 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-5343 Email Representative Kent Hearcel F. Craig (D) District 26 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-8010 Email Representative Craig Thomas E. Brinkman, Jr. (R) District 27 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 644-6886 Email Representative Brinkman Jonathan Dever (R) District 28 77 S. High St 13th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-8120 Email Representative Dever Louis W. Blessing III (R) District 29 77 S. High St 13th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-9091 Email Representative Blessing Bill Seitz (R) District 30 77 S. High St 13th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-8258 Email Representative Seitz Brigid Kelly (D) District 31 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-5786 Email Representative Kelly Catherine D. Ingram (D) District 32 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-1645 Email Representative Ingram Alicia Reece (D) District 33 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-1308 Email Representative Reece Emilia Strong Sykes (D) District 34 Assistant Minority Whip 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-3100 Email Representative Sykes Vacant District 35 Anthony DeVitis (R) District 36 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-1790 Email Representative DeVitis Kristina Roegner (R) District 37 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-1177 Email Representative Roegner Marilyn Slaby (R) District 38 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 644-5085 Email Representative Slaby Fred Strahorn (D) District 39 Minority Leader 77 S. High St 14th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-1607 Email Representative Strahorn Michael Henne (R) District 40 77 S. High St 13th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 644-8051 Email Representative Henne Jim Butler (R) District 41 77 S. High St 13th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 644-6008 Email Representative Butler Niraj J. Antani (R) District 42 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-6504 Email Representative Antani Jeffery S. Rezabek (R) District 43 77 S. High St 12th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-2960 Email Representative Rezabek Michael Ashford (D) District 44 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-1401 Email Representative Ashford Teresa Fedor (D) District 45 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 644-6017 Email Representative Fedor Michael Sheehy (D) District 46 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-1418 Email Representative Sheehy Derek Merrin (R) District 47 77 S. High St 11th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-1731 Email Representative Merrin Kirk Schuring (R) District 48 Speaker Pro Tempore 77 S. High St 14th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 752-2438 Email Representative Schuring Thomas West (D) District 49 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-8030 Email Representative West Christina Hagan (R) District 50 77 S. High St 13th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 466-9078 Email Representative Hagan Wes Retherford (R) District 51 77 S.