Legislative Update: JobsOhio Flunking 'Business 101'

The long-awaited JobsOhio report was issued by State Auditor Dave Yost in late November, but it created more questions than answers. 

The haphazard report fails to give Ohioans a full account of all possible wrongdoing. Yet in between the lines are troubling highlights of an organization that fails to document expenses and employee purchases or guard against fraud and conflicts of interest. These basic practices are ‘Business 101,’ and JobsOhio is flunking. 

With a fundamentally-flawed organization at the helm of Ohio’s economic development, it’s no surprise that our jobless rate continues to trend upward, now surpassing the national average.

JobsOhio desperately needs more transparency. They need to be vigilant in the way they spend taxpayer dollars by addressing their fundamental flaws, restoring Ohioans’ trust and creating good jobs for Ohioans.

I cosponsored legislation in June that would address these issues, but the under GOP control, it’s unlikely this bill will see any action—just like correcting the troubling shortcomings of JobsOhio.