Week in Review: Jan. 21, 2024

BALLOT ISSUES

Groups wanting to put a constitutional amendment before Ohio voters that would enshrine certain voting rights and procedures in the Ohio Constitution have resubmitted their proposed summary language after Attorney General Dave Yost had rejected the first submission late last year. Among Yost's reasoning for rejecting the previous submission was the title of "Secure and Fair Elections," with Yost telling the group that "the proposed amendment is a compilation of specific election regulations. While the petitioners may believe that these proposed regulations may ultimately result in secure and fair elections, the title is completely untethered to the actual substance of the proposed amendment. Thus, the title is misleading and fails to fairly and truthfully describe the content of the proposed amendment." The new title of the ballot initiative is "Ohio Voters Bill of Rights," which is similar to a 2014 effort that did not make it to the ballot.

BUSINESS/CORPORATE

Small businesses in four Ohio cities/areas can now apply for advertising and marketing support from the "Pay It Forward" initiative from national communications firm Spectrum Reach. "Pay It Forward" winners will receive free advertising in the form of marketing consultation services; educational resources; networking opportunities; and a linear and streaming TV ad campaign worth up to $15,000 to run through April, May and June. The "Pay It Forward" program will offer access to Spectrum's advertising services to 250 underserved small businesses in more than 35 designated market areas nationwide, including Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio. Preference will be given to any business that is majority-owned by an ethnic or racial minority. More details on application eligibility and a program application can be found at http://tinyurl.com/35479rpn.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/URBAN REVITALIZATION

Dozens of buildings across the state will be rehabilitated with support from the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program, Gov. Mike DeWine has announced. In total, 46 projects involving the renovation of 54 buildings will be awarded more than $67.5 million in tax credits as part of the program. The projects are also expected to leverage approximately $732 million in private investments, according to DeWine's office.

The Ohio Department of Development (DOD) recently announced it is accepting applications for the state Opportunity Zone Tax Credit Program through 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 1. Over $28 million in tax credits are available this round, and Ohio Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF) investments made from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2023 are eligible for consideration. More information on the DOD program is available at http://tinyurl.com/44kmj2kb.

WORKFORCE

The Governor's Office of Workforce Transformation recently updated the state's "Top Jobs" list as required every two years, providing new information on which occupations are in-demand or deemed critical. The in-demand jobs must pay at least 80% of the state median wage of $17.22 an hour, have an annual growth in the number of jobs higher than the statewide average; or have more than 641 annual job openings. Among the newly added jobs are avionics technicians, at a median salary of $58,000; biomedical engineers, at a median salary of $93,000; and chemical engineers, at a median salary of $99,000.