• Innovation Hubs – Ohio’s original Innovation Districts have incentivized new research and development, created tens of thousands of new jobs and STEM graduates, and have generated billions in annual economic impact. This model will now expand to multiple mid-sized Ohio metropolitan centers, new industries, and new private sector partners to attract increased investment in Ohio. Many communities are in varying stages of pulling together cooperative efforts and financial commitments among regional businesses, higher education, and economic development partners, and the budget provides $125 million to convene these Innovation Hubs. • Ohio Workforce Housing State Tax Credit Program – With Ohio’s housing shortage among the most pressing of workforce challenges, the OCC was pleased to see adoption of the DeWine/Husted Administration’s proposed low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) to create approximately 4,700 affordable housing units over four years. The OCC had advocated for the House’s more robust version, but believes the final version is a first start and, when coupled with the budget’s other housing incentives, will start chipping away at this critical problem. Other OCC-supported housing incentives which, when combined with the state LIHTC, total a $250 million effort to grow Ohio’s housing stock, include: • A single-family housing development tax credit proposed by the Administration. • The creation of income tax deductions for home purchasing savings accounts. • The Senate’s Welcome Home Ohio programs and appropriations, which will allow Ohioans to make needed renovations/updates to single-family homes (particularly to convert rental homes to permanent housing). • An increased signature threshold for placing township zoning referendums on the ballot from 8% to 15% - this is problematic especially in Central Ohio, where several new housing projects have been throttled locally and even overturned after going through the normal zoning process. • Streamlining of Ohio’s Administrative Code - The DeWine/Husted Administration’s “Innovate the Code” initiative will reduce up to one-third of the Ohio Administrative Code through the targeting of duplicative provisions, outdated sections, and unnecessary requirements. The OCC highly supported inclusion of the “Innovate the Code” initiative under the Senate-passed budget and was glad to see it in the final draft. • Promotion of Computer Science Offerings - Ohio’s economic competitiveness is contingent upon a technology-proficient workforce prepared with the skill sets for jobs that have yet to even be invented. Unfortunately, approximately 50% of Ohio’s public-school districts have zero offerings of Computer Science (CS) courses at the high school level. The budget extends the computer science licensure exemption and contains $8 million for the Teach Computer Science program for coursework, materials, and exams – both initiatives will professionall develop more CS teachers. Additionally, the budget contains the Computer Science Promise Program, to provide in-school and virtual CS course offerings for more Ohio students.
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