The Ohio Senate unanimously passed legislation that removes hundreds of pages from the Ohio Revised Code, increasing efficiency at the state level.
Senate Bill (SB) 74, sponsored by State Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green), contains over 100 individual changes to the Ohio Revised Code, most impacting government-to-government interactions. The bill eliminates 64 code sections, cutting hundreds of pages from the Ohio Revised Code.
A significant portion of the proposal amends statutes that, in the state senator’s opinion, do not adequately reflect the modern, streamlined efficiency attained through current electronic financial transactions and processes and were written in the paper-based processing age.
According to Gavarone, she is proud that the lawmakers in the Senate unanimously passed SB 74.
“This legislation cuts hundreds of pages from the Ohio Revised Code, decreases the size of government, and increases efficiency at the state level. I am proud of this latest effort to streamline government for Ohio’s citizens,” Gavarone said.
The legislation also tries to modernize and streamline several code sections in Ohio law regarding the State Treasurer’s Office operations to create uniformity, eliminate outdated and unneeded provisions, and remove duplicative language.
The bill aims to amend sections of code addressing electronic tax payments to account for the existence of the Ohio Business Gateway, updates sections of law regarding investment terminology, debt management, and banking relationships that have not been revised for decades; and amends code to achieve statutory consistency regarding matters of pledged collateral across state agencies.
The state senator notes that in the legislation, the treasurer is not creating or expanding any authorities, creating new programs, or otherwise making any policy changes. The changes are all technical updates to code that “in many cases are decades overdue.”
Gavarone stated these changes are vitally important to the State Treasurer’s office and operations.
“This bill is the type of good government legislation that doesn’t always grab the headlines but is vitally important to the underlying function of state government. Ensuring that Ohio Revised Code is modern, efficient, and relevant is especially important to the State Treasurer’s office given their unique role in state government,” Gavarone said.
State Treasurer Robert Sprague applauded the Ohio Senate for unanimously passing this “good and common sense” legislation.
“Over the last four years, we’ve focused on modernizing the Treasury’s operations and preparing for the future. SB 74 makes common-sense, good-government reforms to Ohio law, and we thank the Ohio Senate for their unanimous support,” Sprague said.
SB 74 now moves to the Ohio House for its review.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Background Photo “Ohio State Senate” by Antony-22. CC BY-SA 2.0.
