H.B. 256
128th General Assembly
(As Introduced)
Reps. Gardner, Carney, Wachtmann, Boyd, Sears, Hite, Hottinger, Burke, Mandel, Amstutz, Blair, Oelslager, Boose, Wagner, Balderson, Lehner, Morgan, Baker, Grossman, Derickson, McGregor, Mecklenborg, Hackett, McClain, Zehringer, R. Adams, Huffman, Bacon, Stebelton, Evans, J. Adams, Combs, Jordan, Ruhl, Martin, Blessing, Uecker, Chandler
BILL SUMMARY
· Creates the Small Business Health Care Affordability Task Force.
CONTENT AND OPERATION
The bill creates the Small Business Health Care Affordability Task Force. Under the bill, the Task Force has the following members:
(1) Three members of the House of Representatives, two of whom are appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one of whom is appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives;
(2) Three members of the Senate, two of whom are appointed by the President of the Senate and one of whom is appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate.
Additionally, the Task Force may, at its organizational meeting, appoint up to five additional members to the Task Force who represent small business employers or employees or who are otherwise relevant to the duties of the Task Force. However, a member appointed by the Task Force must not also be a member of the General Assembly.
Both the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate must designate one member who was appointed from the General Assembly to serve as a co-chair of the Task Force.
The Task Force must commence its organizational meeting not later than 30 days after the bill's effective date and must do all of the following: (1) study the potential benefits of state tax incentives for small businesses that provide health insurance coverage for employees, (2) study potential state incentives for businesses to offer health wellness and disease prevention programs, (3) review employer health insurance tax incentives and wellness programs in other states and analyze whether such state policies would encourage greater affordability of employer-provided health insurance coverage and support employers in maintaining and expanding the workforce in Ohio, and (4) consider federal legislation regarding the provision of health insurance by small businesses, including the proposed federal "Healthy Workforce Act of 2009" and "Small Business Health Options Program Act of 2009," and the potential impact of such federal legislation on Ohio's small businesses.
The Task Force must report its findings and any recommendations to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Governor not later than six months following the initial organizational meeting of the Task Force. After the Task Force submits the report, it will cease to exist.
HISTORY
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ACTION |
DATE |
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Introduced |
07-23-09 |
H0256-I-128.docx/jc