Youngstown Daily Legal News

Lawmakers want to establish Buy Local Ohio program

TIFFANY L. PARKS
Special to the Legal News
Published: September 12, 2014

The sponsors of a bill to create a Buy Local Ohio program have said the proposed legislation is designed to boost local economies and support in-state companies.

“Creating a Buy Local Ohio program will directly benefit our state’s local economies,” said Rep. Matt Lundy. “If possible, work done in Lorain County should be performed by Lorain County businesses. It just makes sense — businesses and employees know the city and have a stake in getting the job done right.”

House Bill 587, sponsored by Lundy, D-Elyria, and Rep. Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, would incentivize public schools, safety services and municipalities to give preference to local and Ohio-based contractors for their projects.

The bill states that a political subdivision that is required by law to award a contract by competitive bidding would be allowed to adopt an ordinance or resolution establishing a Buy Local Ohio program that permits the political subdivision to choose a bid that is not the lowest bid.

Under current state law, all pubic subdivisions must advertise and take competitive bids for certain projects. These public entities must then select the “lowest responsible bid” for contract.

“The more we drive support to local businesses, the more we can grow our local economies and communities,” Lundy said.

HB 587 specifies that winning bids must be within 3 percent of the lowest bid and respond to all project specifications.

The bidder’s principal place of business must be within the political subdivision where the project is being performed and the business must pay taxes to the state of Ohio.

According to the bill, the business also must also be registered and licensed to do business in Ohio and have 10 or more employees in Ohio or at least 75 percent of its employees based in Ohio.

“We should be doing everything we can to insert local dollars back into our communities to create and maintain good-paying jobs,” Budish said.

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