Gov. Kaisch & Lt. Gov. Taylor On CSI Ohio: The Common Sense Initiative

In March, Gov. John R. Kasich won his second major legislative victory. This was a major step toward cutting government red tape and tearing down barriers to job creation by signing into law Senate Bill 2, legislation establishing CSI Ohio: the Common Sense Initiative.

S.B. 2 (Hughes) essentially codifies Kasich’s first executive order signed on January 10, placing Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor in charge of CSI Ohio and developing a process for holding state agencies accountable for promoting flexibility, balance, transparency and consistency as rules and regulations impacting businesses are developed or renewed.

“Seeking the right balance of regulations that makes Ohio businesses competitive while protecting the health and safety of our citizens is our goal and this bill certainly helps us accomplish that,” Kasich said. “Ultimately this is a huge victory for job creators who want to locate, grow, expand and create jobs right here in Ohio.”

S.B. 2 received broad bipartisan support following a 32-to-1 vote in the Ohio Senate on February 23 and an 81-to-14 vote in the Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday, March 2.

Highlights of Senate Bill 2 include:

Business Impact Analysis: CSI Ohio will require agencies to adequately address the purpose of each proposed rule or regulation and the adverse impact to business.

JCARR: Allows the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review to invalidate proposed rules when agencies fail to justify a regulatory benefit.

Customer Service: CSI Ohio will require state agencies to develop customer service standards and integrate them into the job descriptions and performance evaluations of employees.

In a previous interview, Taylor responding to the newly passed bill, said:

“This is common sense and it is encouraging to see the legislature support CSI Ohio and our process of cutting through the red tape and eliminating burdensome, costly and duplicative rules and regulations,” Taylor said. “This will help us revive Ohio’s economy and improve our business community’s ability to put their job-creating ideas into action.”

On Saturday May 14, the Business Journal Daily also interviewed Lt. Gov. Taylor about CSI and its reception by Ohio business. A video of the interview can be watched by clicking here.