Ohio State Government Coordinator Report
for February, 1996

ACTIVITY SUMMARY

Activities in February included attending House and Senate committee hearings, the House session in which HB-350 was passed, meetings of the Ohio Alliance for Civil Justice, and the February meeting of the Ohio Council. I also flew to Los Angeles to attend a Region IX Government Relations meeting where I described the operations of the Ohio Council and the Ohio Coordinator.

STATE

Action on Bills.
HB-350. This bill is aimed at providing limitations on filing law suits (Tort Reform). It was finally passed out of the House Energy and Environment (EE) Committee in late January and brought to the House floor on February 7. The debate on the bill was furious, and many amendments were offered to essentially strip the bill of each of its major provisions. All were narrowly defeated, with the margin on some amendments being 1 vote. The bill finally was passed by a margin of 54 to 44. The bill was introduced in the Special Committee in the Senate Chaired By Bruce Johnson. Hearings were begun on the bill and are expected to continue at least into May.

I continued to attend meetings of the Ohio Alliance for Civil Justice in February. This organization was very much involved in the action in the House and will continue to push vigorously for the bill in the Senate. By all accounts, the fight in the Senate will be even more intense than it was in the House.

HB-441. This bill allows tax credits for corporations and/or individuals that complete voluntary environmental clean-ups of contaminated sites. It was passed by the House on February 7 and is being considered in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

HB-435. This bill revises the requirements for approval of modifications of hazardous waste facility installation and operating permits that would expand the capacity of a facility or broaden its scope of operations. It passed the House in January and is being considered in the Senate Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment Committee.

HB-548, HB575, HB-593. These bills restrict or stop motor vehicle inspections in one way or another. They have been assigned to the House EE Committee.

Hb-445. This bill lowers the bonding requirements of scrap tire transporters from $50K to $20K to make it easier for small operators. This bill passed both House and Senate.

Ohio Council
The Ohio Council met on February 17. It was decided to have the "Member meet your Senator Day" on April 10. The day will start with a breakfast at a location near to the Ohio Statehouse, following which, the members will meet with their Senators. It is planned that at least one member will attend and meet with his Senator. There will be no restriction against having more than one member for any Senator. Multi-member delegations are always more effective.

I confirmed with Senator Johnson that he could speak at the breakfast. He will describe how a bill becomes law and the provisions of HB-350. In addition, summary descriptions of HB-350 will be sent to each participant before April 10. The members will thus be primed to talk about the bill with their Senators.

I used the computer listing of Ohio members to identify those who had indicated a strong interest in meeting their legislators and matched their Zip Codes with the Senatorial districts. Most districts had at least one member on this list. The lists of these members will be sent to the Section Chairs for their help in contacting the members and recruiting attendees at the event. Larry Gradwell and I will assist in finding members as appropriate. Section Chairs, Government Relations Chairs and members of the Ohio Council are also encouraged to attend this event.

Another major activity in which the Council is participating is the "Accessing Technology Symposium" to be held in Cleveland (CWRU) on May 1, 1996. This symposium is intended to inform engineers within driving distance of Cleveland (Southeastern Michigan, Northern Ohio, Northwestern Pennsylvania) of the technology development resources available to them. A brochure on the symposium is attached to this report. The success of this meeting will depend on how well it is publicized.

A task group of the Council is continuing to solicit and collate papers on "Good Science/Bad Science". Once sufficient material is collected, a decision will be made on how it will be used.

CALIFORNIA TRIP

I flew to Los Angeles to attend a Region IX Government Relations meeting. I made a presentation on the organization and activities of the Ohio Council and my role as State coordinator. Nelson Milder gave an overview of ASME's Government Relations Program. Other speakers included Steve Jarvis from the California Office of Competitive Technology and California Assemblyman Jim Morrissey. The meeting went very well. It would be worth considering having a similar meeting for Region V.

Sincerely,

L. Eugene Hulbert
ASME Ohio Coordinator