NEWS
JB Hamlin & Company
The JBH & Co. newsreel will keep you up to date on developments that affect Ohio’s state agencies and your business interests, your place for tweets, posts and our perspectives on the governmental environment in Ohio.
Exchanges Struggle to Open
Rivaling the release of a new iPhone in popularity, today marks the first day of open enrollment in the President’s healthcare overhaul, the Affordable Care Act. Unsurprisingly, the Fed systems set up to handle the surge of open enrollment applications are buckling under the weight, seemingly insufficient to handle the demand. But according to Federal officials, everything is under control: “We have built a dynamic system and are prepared to make adjustments as needed and improve the consumer experience,” said U.S. Health and...
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Kasich Taking the Longview
National media have slowly been positioning Ohio Governor John Kasich as a case study. They were happy to jump on the band wagon when approval ratings were low early on. Now, with the economy moving in the right direction and and election campaign in the not-too-distant future, the punditry has proclaimed that Kasich is a study in how to win. With 2014 elections nearly upon us in political and fundraising terms, some eyes have trained their focus on the presidential and federal elections coming in 2016. But some eyes have been looking toward...
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Dominance in Ohio
Bravo. Brent Larkin provides a comprehensive analysis of Republican dominance in Ohio’s five statewide elected offices. There’s momentum, then there’s dominance. Evidence suggests that the Dems only turnout for presidential elections. And the Republican stronghold (all statewide elected offices) make fundraising a coordinated effort with a more than strong start. This will be difficult to reverse, barring some sort of actual wrongdoing by the current administration and its officers. Harbinger for...
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Jobs Strategy & Direction
While the latest jobs report for Ohio leaves a lot to be desired, the strategic direction of our economy hasn’t changed. Ohio suffered the second worst job loss in the nation – behind only Tennessee – drawing a stark contrast from prior months. Though it certainly represents some turbulence, our trajectory remains sound. As Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols put it: “We’ve got to keep pushing forward with the jobs-friendly policies that we know are working – fiscal responsibility, tax cuts, streamlined regulations, and better...
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JobsOhio numbers
JobsOhio, the leading edge of Governor Kasich’s dynamic and innovative job creation strategy, has announced it’s first quarter metrics, and the results look good. Having worked with 65 companies to create more than 17,000 jobs, the private entity has worked with a combined payroll of almost $1 billion. Sounds like a good start to...
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Nerdprom
Well, we’ve seen another White House Correspondent’s Dinner come and go. The event has become known as NerdProm, and for good reason. It’s recently become all glitz and little substance. Conan O’Brien held the M.C. duties this year, and veteran Tom Brokaw opted not to attend, citing Lindsay Lohan’s attendance last year as the straw that broke the camel’s back. Do you think it’s worth the...
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Speed Limits
The speed limit on the Ohio Turnpike is now 70 mph, a move that nearly every state surrounding our own has already made. But there’s a wrinkle: the limits will remain the same on other highways, which is puzzling. There are experts who crow about safety, and others who do not. If the turnpike can handle it, what makes the other major highways different?
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Another Win for JobsOhio
The Ford Motor Company announced expansion and renovation in their Cleveland Motor plant, a move that signaled strength in the US car market, and viability in the Northeast Ohio supply chain. It’s also another significant win for the Kasich administration and its JobsOhio team. The move will create 450 jobs and add to the momentum of Ohio’s automotive economy, striking while the iron is hot and positioning it nicely to take advantage of growth in the US auto...
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Supreme Court & JobsOhio
JobsOhio is in the news again as the Ohio Supreme Court has accepted a case to hear arguments as to whether ProgressOhio has the right to sue over the constitutionality of the program. As The Plain Dealer reports, the issue (or non-issue) deals with the Kasich administration’s plan to use profits from the sale of liquor in Ohio to fund this private sector job creation entity. Though the lower courts have denied ProgressOhio’s right to sue, the high court will hear their arguments, setting up a last chance for their complaint, and...
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Detroit Auto Show
The Big Three strut their stuff this week in Detroit at the annual auto show. Coverage from the Cleveland Plain Dealer here. Ford, Chrysler and GM always show off their latest and greatest, with ramifications for all of our Ohio auto manufacutrers. Let’s see if there’s any good news for our Ohio...
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