MANSFIELD — State senator Larry Obhof (R) and state representative Mark Romanchuk (R) made their priorities clear at a meeting with the Regional Manufacturing Coalition in Mansfield on Friday: cutting regulations, keeping business taxes low and pushing for price transparency from health care providers.

“The state senator and the state representative seem to really be concerned and care about the constituents and reduce taxes, reduce regulations, things that would all people whether you’re Republican or Democrat,” said Dan Phillip of the Transformation Network.

The two statesmen began by discussing the budgetary gridlock the Ohio General Assembly faced this summer, which delayed the passage of a biennial state budget 17 days past the original deadline.

One of the key issues dividing the House and Senate was whether to lower the amount of business income exempt from state taxation. In the end, the current exemption levels were kept intact.

“The business income deduction has been a huge part, I believe, of Ohio’s success over the last 10 years,” Obhof said. 

Obhof said he refused to budge on the exemption limit.

“Suddenly we’re talking about raising taxes by $1.2 billion,” he said. “I don’t care if we have to wait 1,700 days, we were not going to have a billion-dollar tax increase on my watch.”

The budget also included provisions for a manufacturing mentorship program, which allows students ages 16 and 17 to work part-time in a manufacturing facility under the guidance of a mentor, regardless of whether or not that student was enrolled in a career technical program. 

“I think we’re making progress on workforce development,” Romanchuk said. “I most of the impact, in regards to workforce development, happens at the local level, not the state or federal level.”

Another point of pride for the Republicans was the “one-in, two-out” rule included in Senate Bill 1, which will require every state agency to get rid of two regulations before adding a new one for the next four years.

The bill was passed by the Senate in May and is currently in the House’s State and Local Government committee.

“That has worked at the federal level,” said Obhof, referencing an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in January 2017. “It has been a huge part of the nation’s economic turnaround.”

Another initiative in the works is Senate Bill 97, which would require hospitals to publish a list of their standard charges for items and services and to provide patients with cost estimates for scheduled services at their request.

“We want hospitals to compete on price and quality and we want people that are buying healthcare to act like consumers,” Romanchuk explained. “We’re going to require these estimates to be given in advance … We think that will drive down healthcare costs.”

A similar initiative included in the state budget was vetoed by Governor Mike DeWine, who stated that since a June 2019 executive order set a similar federal requirement, state legislation would place “duplicative or burdensome regulations” on health-care providers.

According to Obhof, Senate Bill 97 has less stringent timelines than the one included in the budget.

“I think the governor would sign the version that the Senate has just passed,” he said. “This one is a little bit more flexible.”

While the two state politicians shared mostly similar views, they didn’t try to hide their disagreement over a piece of energy legislation. House Bill 6, which creates the Ohio Clean Air Program, will take effect Oct. 22.

“I thought the most interesting part was when we had the opposing sides to H.B. 6 … and then to hear the backstory for each viewpoint,” said Jane Yonally, executive director of the Regional Manufacturing Coalition.

Romanchuk opposed the bill, characterizing it as a bailout for energy companies that would increase electricity costs.

Obhof admitted the bill was a bailout, but claimed that other components of the bill will help lower statewide electricity rates by approximately $1.1 billion over the course of the next six years.

“For me, what it came down to was the opportunity to save thousands of Ohio jobs while protecting a broad portfolio of different sources of energy, so that it includes gas, coal, nuclear, some of the green energy sources…wind, solar, all of the above,” Obhof said.