COSE Commends Ohio General Assembly for Support of Small Business

CLEVELAND, June 6 /PRNewswire/ -- As an active advocate of small business,
the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) commends the passage of HB 285,
McGregor, (R-Springfield) -- a step towards making it easier to do business in
Ohio. Last week, the House overwhelmingly approved the changes made to the
bill in the Senate and sent the bill to the governor for his signature. HB 285
will become effective 90 days after the governor takes action.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080218/CLM074LOGO )
HB 285 requires that state agencies wave fines and/or civil penalties for
small businesses who commit first-time paperwork violations. Once an agency
waives the fine, the small business will be required to correct the violation
within a reasonable amount of time.
"This legislation is an excellent step towards recognizing and addressing
the extra burden of regulation faced by smaller businesses in Ohio," said
Steve Millard, president and executive director of COSE. "Too often, small
businesses are weighted by paperwork and other rules that distract them from
their main goal of dealing with daily business challenges and growing their
business. HB 285 ensures that first-time paperwork violations are treated as
learning lessons -- not as revenue streams for the agencies."
As almost 80 percent of Ohio's companies employ between one and 20
employees, COSE believes it is essential to make it easier for small
businesses to do business in and with Ohio, and supports legislation that
encourages -- not hampers -- growth of Ohio's economy.
Earlier this year, Governor Strickland signed an Executive Order aimed at
easing the regulatory hurdles of small businesses in Ohio. COSE worked closely
with the Governor's administration to outline unnecessary regulatory burdens
on small businesses, and continued to work towards legislation that would
further relieve small businesses of the regulatory barriers they face on a
daily basis.
"COSE applauds the Senate and House for their recognition of the need for
regulatory reform and for their efforts in passing this legislation," Millard
said. "We look forward to working with Ohio legislators in the future on other
regulatory issues, and we will continue to advocate for a small business
friendly environment in Ohio."
COSE, Northeast Ohio's largest small business support organization,
strives to help small businesses grow and maintain their independence.
Comprised of more than 17,000 member companies -- 75% of those with between 1
and 10 employees -- COSE has a long history of fighting for the rights of all
small business owners, whether it's through group purchasing programs in
healthcare, workers' compensation, payroll services, or shipping, or
advocating for specific changes in legislation or regulation. COSE also
produces more than 100 networking and business education events each
year -- all focused on connecting our members to each other to increase their
productivity and sales. (www.cose.org )
SOURCE Council of Smaller Enterprises

Lauren Sable of Council of Smaller Enterprises, +1-216-592-2396,
lsable@cose.org