On Wednesday, the Ohio Senate and Ohio House voted to override Governor Kasich’s veto of Senate Bill 221, which marks the end of a three-year long journey to bring about much-needed reforms to the rulemaking process.
This bill was formed out of our Ohio Small Business Council in coordination with the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) and went through many reiterations. It began as companion legislation introduced in 2016 as House Bill 503 and Senate Bill 303.
The bill was reintroduced as Senate Bill 221 in 2017 and builds upon work to improve the regulatory environment in Ohio, such as the creation of the Common Sense Initiative Office and the Business Impact Analysis.
SB 221 passed through the Senate in April of this year with wide-ranging, bipartisan support 30-3 and then out of the House in June by a margin of 73-20. Ultimately, when the bill made it to the governor’s desk, he vetoed it in early August.
We are grateful that both chambers took up this measure on their first session during “lame duck” as this bill served as a top priority of the Ohio Chamber in the 132nd General Assembly. The veto override began in the Senate with a vote of 24-8 and then in the House with a vote of 70-22, both with overwhelming, bipartisan support.