Stein Highlights Legislation for Ohio Farmers

COLUMBUS – State lawmakers are continuing their work to support Ohio farmers, with the Ohio House recently approving several measures to keep agriculture strong.

“Agriculture has long been a critical part of our economy, and that’s especially true in our area,” said State Representative Stein. “I was proud to support these measures and believe they will have a positive impact.”

Ohio has been a farming leader for generations. Today, food and agribusiness is the largest industry in Ohio, contributing $124 billion to the state’s economy. 

The three bills recently approved by the House are:

• Agricultural Leases – House Bill 397 (sponsored by State Representatives Brian Stewart and Darrell Kick) will provide greater clarity and predictability with regard to agricultural leases and, specifically, their method of termination. The bill requires an agricultural lease agreement to be terminated by written notice from the lessor to the lessee unless the lease agreement contains a termination date or method for providing notice of termination. Under the bill, the required notice to terminate an agricultural lease agreement must be given by September 1, in the year it is to be effective, and sets the termination date after notice as the date harvesting is complete or December 31 of the year notice is given, whichever comes first.
• Ethanol – House Bill 165 creates a temporary, non-refundable tax credit on sales of E15 and higher blended biofuels. Sponsored by State Representative Riordan McClain (R-Upper Sandusky), the measure will support Ohio growers and refiners, as well as Ohio fuel consumers. 
• Ag-LINK Updates – House Bill 440 (sponsored by State Representatives D.J. Swearingen and Andrea White) makes several changes to Ohio’s Agricultural Linked Deposit Program, including removing the $150,000 cap on individual loans obtained through the program and making agricultural cooperatives eligible to borrow.

The bills are now pending in the Ohio Senate.