MICHAEL D.

DOVILLA
18 TH DISTRICT ______

VERNE R IFFE CENTER

77 S OUTH HIGH S TREET, 12 TH F LOOR COLUMBUS, OH 43215-6111
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ECONOMIC & SMALL B USINESS DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION, V ICE-CHAIRMAN STATE GOVERNMENT & E LECTIONS W AYS & MEANS P OLICY, CHAIRMAN

T: (614) 466-4895
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F: (614) 719-6957

Ohio General Assembly

House of Representatives Columbus

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DISTRICT18@OHR .STATE.OH.US

FLOOR STATEMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE MIKE DOVILLA ON HOUSE BILL 489 OHIO HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to present House Bill 489, legislation that would reform the Ohio Department of Development and set the stage for further job growth through increased tourism. I am pleased to be sponsoring this legislation with Representative Christina Hagan, as we have seen first-hand the progress which has been made as a result of the progrowth policies enacted over the past year. You may recall that H.B. 1 tasked the Ohio Department of Development to evaluate all powers, functions, and duties of the department and make recommendations to improve the functions and efficiency of Development. With House Bill 489, we are offering the next step in transforming our state for job creation. House Bill 489 will continue the process of restructuring state government to make it more efficient and effective in supporting Ohios businesses and attracting new enterprises to our great state. It starts with recognizing the mission of the Department of Development has been refocused to provide services actually related to economic development, which leads to its redesignation as the Development Services Agency (DSA). Yet this bill provides for more than just the renaming of a state agency; it serves to reinforce our commitment to economic development in multiple ways. In order to set the stage for continued success and job creation, H.B. 489 establishes TourismOhio, a five-year pilot program designed to promote our state as a travel destination and encourage job growth in both tourism related industries and their supporting economic sectors. This five-year pilot program will directly link funding for Ohios tourism marketing to the growth in sales tax revenues from tourism-related industries. In addition to the pilot program, the bill also establishes the TourismOhio Advisory Board to advise on strategies for promoting tourism in our state. This board will be comprised of individuals who possess at least five years of executive-level experience in the attractions, lodging, restaurant, transportation, or retail industry or with a destination marketing organization. While in committee, this legislation was amended to authorize the DSA Director to enter into agreements for tourism promotion in the virtual world as well through the website,

DiscoverOhio.com. This will allow TourismOhio greater agility to leverage partnerships and create a self-sustaining online tourism program. House Bill 489 also takes into consideration how we, as a state, may better serve minorityowned businesses. One such way is to offer such businesses increased access to capital. Currently, the Ohio Department of Development maintains two minority-owned business funds, the Enterprise Loan Fund and the Capital Access Loan Program. House Bill 489 would permit the transfer of money between these two funds to assist more minority-owned businesses. Additionally, the reserve requirements for each fund would be decreased in order to make more money available to these businesses. Representative Hagan will address additional components of the bill in a moment. But first, I wish to thank those who have been instrumental in advancing this important government reform and economic development legislation: Development Director Chris Schmenk and her team have made tremendous progress in realigning the efforts of the Department for this transition Chairman Maag and my fellow members of the State Government and Elections Committee for their careful review of this legislation and for their unanimous support in reporting the bill yesterday Deputy Policy Director Heather Mann, Policy Aide Lisa Griffin, committee aide Samantha Cotten, and my legislative aide, Chris Ventura Speaker Batchelder, for your trust in asking me to carry this important measure, and for bringing it to the floor today Mr. Speaker, and my fellow colleagues, I urge passage of this important legislation, which will continue to effect greater job growth and allow for more opportunities for the citizens of our great state.