Government Spotlight | April 23, 2024

Ohio Cyber Security Conference
Join the Ohio Secretary of State for a keynote address from one of the nation’s foremost hackers and former FBI Most Wanted turned Cyber Security Consultant, Brett Johnson. You’ll also hear from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and a panel of industry experts from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). 

One of the biggest threats to your business is a cyberattack. Cyberattacks can be catastrophic. According to Mind Group, the average cost of a data breach is $350,000. A cyber security attack can cost you thousands or even millions of dollars and ruin the business you’ve worked so hard to build.

To help make your business cybersafe and protect your assets, the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, in partnership with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, is offering a free conference to explore cyber threats and solutions.

Date: Friday, April 26, 2024

Time: 8 a.m.–11 a.m.

Location: Ohio Union, US Bank Conference Theater, 1739 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43210

Franklin County Judge Temporarily Blocks State Tobacco Preemption Law
Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge, Mark Serrott, has issued a temporary restraining order against enforcement of a state law prohibiting local regulations of tobacco and alternative nicotine products.

The tobacco preemption law was passed as part of budget bill HB33 (Edwards). Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed the language, but the General Assembly overrode his veto. The temporary restraining order blocks the law from going into effect until a preliminary injunction hearing on Friday, May 17.

Fourteen Ohio cities filed a lawsuit challenging a state law prohibiting local regulations of tobacco and alternative nicotine products at a local level. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Columbus, Bexley, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dublin, Gahanna, Grandview Heights, Heath, Hilliard, Oxford, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington, Whitehall and Worthington. It argues that legislation passed by the General Assembly that was set to take effect on Tuesday, April 23 is unconstitutional. 

Applications Due Soon for New Child Care Grants
The Child Care Access Grant program will take applications this week. The grants are meant to increase capacity, complete building repairs and train staff and families to help children with special needs.

Grant types include the following:

• Up to $500,000 for startup of new child care centers
• Up to $50,000 to expand centers or $5,000 to expand family child care
• Up to $100,000 for centers or $5,000 for family child care for repairs
• Up to $25,000 for Family Child Care Type B to Type A grants
• Up to $100,000 to increase capacity for children with special needs

Applications close at 5 p.m. Friday, April 26, and award announcements are expected in May. Applications can be submitted through the Ohio Professional Registry at http://registry.occrra.org.

E-Verify Requirements Legislation
The House Commerce and Labor Committee heard testimony from a former Trump administration official and trades groups’ leaders in support of a bill to set E-Verify requirements for certain employers. House Bill 327 would require political subdivisions, private employers with 75 employees or more and nonresidential construction contractors to verify each new employee’s work eligibility through the federal E-Verify program. 

The contractor provision also applies to subcontractors and any tradesperson assigned to work on the project. Joseph Edlow, who has held several executive and legislative branch positions regarding immigration enforcement including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ deputy director for policy, effectively an acting director position, spoke on behalf of the organization NumbersUSA. He explained how the E-Verify system works quickly and presented statistics on its accuracy, saying nearly 43 million employees were checked for eligibility during FY23 and it automatically confirmed work authorization for 98.24 percent.

Community Development Block Grant Program Grant 2025 Application is live!
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) is federal funding provided to the City of Columbus by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop viable urban communities with an emphasis on supporting low- and moderate-income persons. The CDBG Program supports community development activities to build stronger and more resilient communities. 

To support community development, activities are identified through an ongoing process. Activities may address needs such as infrastructure, economic development projects, public facilities installation, community centers, housing rehabilitation, public services, clearance/acquisition, microenterprise assistance, code enforcement, homeowner assistance, etc.

The 2025 CDBG application is now live, and applications are due before the end of the day on June 14th. The 2025 CDBG Application is now live on our webpage under the expandable blue CDBG banner HERE. Expand the blue Community Development Block Grant section to find all of the necessary info and the link to the application form and downloadable documents.

A technical assistance workshop will take place on May 2nd at 3:00PM at the Columbus Public Health Auditorium at 240 Parsons Avenue. Free parking is available in the lot behind the building, where the main entrance is located. For more questions, please reach out to the City of Columbus’ Dept. of Finance and Management at (614) 645-8200

NSBA Webinar on New Independent Contractor Rule
Join NSBA on April 25 at 1:00 p.m. EDT to hear from leading labor attorney Robert Shea on what you need to know when it comes to the new Independent Contractor rule and how to avoid major regulatory penalties.

Register Here: https://www.nsba.biz/post/news-nsba-webinar-on-new-independent-contractor-rule

Dez Bryant
Vice President of Government Relations
dezbryant@columbus.org