North Summit News

The Ohio Senate has approved House Bill 238, a legislative measure aimed at revising and amending the state's occupational licenses. The bill is backed by State Senator Kristina Roegner, who leads the Senate Government Oversight Committee.

This initiative stems from Senate Bill 255 of the 132nd General Assembly, which mandates a six-year review cycle for state occupational licensing boards. Under this framework, one-third of these boards are reviewed every two years by both the House and the Senate.

"One of the problems with government is that it grows continuously, becoming an inefficient behemoth. House Bill 238 is one effort to streamline government, to cut out what is not needed and make government more efficient," stated Roegner.

The bill proposes several changes to licensure regulations:

- The application fee for boiler and pressure vessel inspector certification will decrease from $150 to $100.

- The duration of private investigation and security licenses will extend from one year to two years.

- The application fee for steam engineers and boiler operators will reduce from $75 to $25.

- Educational hours required for a real estate salesperson license will drop from 120 hours to 100 hours.

- A motor vehicle salesperson will no longer need a separate license to sell vehicles for a licensed dealer.

Additionally, House Bill 238 incorporates elements of Senate Bill 335, which reflects recommendations from the Sunset Review Committee. This committee evaluates various state public bodies such as boards and commissions, offering suggestions on whether they should be reauthorized or modified.

"Each of these pieces of legislation went through a thorough process that aimed to reduce fees and regulations and streamline licensures, boards, and commissions," said Senator Roegner. "It is important that we are making positive changes to keep our government as efficient as possible."

The legislation now awaits concurrence in the Ohio House.