Proponent Testimony — Andrea Ashley, Associated General Contractors of Ohio, on S.B. 41 (June 27, 2023)

Summary

Andrea Ashley, Vice President of Government Relations for Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Ohio, gave proponent testimony on Senate Bill 41 before the House Economic and Workforce Development Committee, provided on June 27, 2023. The testimony expresses support for legislation that would create an expedited building appeals process. It says that under current law a typical building appeal can last 30-60 days. It says an amendment expanded the time frame for an expedited hearing to five days after an expedited appeal is requested, excluding holidays and weekends. It adds that the House passed a companion bill with an 83-7 bipartisan vote last General Assembly.

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“Proponent Testimony — Andrea Ashley, Associated General Contractors of Ohio, on S.B. 41 (June 27, 2023).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2023-06-27-econ-workforce-dev-testimony-testimony-6978-22651e271b/, SHA-256 085cf84a034372c8daabc4c4872a5c29207b13c18085c0d2101ce2981e2b103d.

Full text

HOUSE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
S.B. 41 - PROPONENT TESTIMONY
Provided on June 27, 2023 by
Andrea Ashley, Vice President of Government Relations
Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Ohio

Chair Swearingen, Vice Chair Santucci, Ranking Member Upchurch and Representatives on the House
Economic and Workforce Development Committee:

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Ohio would like to express support for Senate Bill 41,
legislation that would create an expedited building appeals process.

AGC of Ohio is a construction association that represents large and small, union and open shop (non-
union), commercial building and industrial contractors from across the state. Our members build
vertical structures in both the public and private arenas. They work with building departments from the
very start of the project during the plan approval process; throughout the building inspection process;
and until the final occupancy permits are received by the owner.

Under current law, a typical building appeal can last 30-60 days. The lengthy timeframe negatively
impacts a project. If a portion of work needs to be put on hold, that delay hurts the entire project
timeline, the construction team (contractors, subcontractors, tradespeople), and the project’s owner,
who wants to occupy the building as soon as possible to begin operations. Delays are very burdensome
and expensive for everyone involved.

While considering the needs of those directly engaged on the project, one must also consider the
bill’s impact on the local and state building appeals boards – their ability to do their job and provide an
appropriate level of customer service to the industry. To provide some background… most appeals
boards hear more than just building appeals; they also hear appeals related to local housing, property
maintenance, fire codes, etc. Additionally, they do not operate full-time, and board members often
have other positions and job responsibilities. Plus, many appeals require research and information
gathering by the board members.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
Associated General Contractors of Ohio · 1755 Northwest Blvd · Columbus, OH 43212 · Ph 614.486.6446 · Fax 614.486.6498 · www.agcohio.com
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During the last General Assembly, Senator Roegner and Representatives Roemer and Ray worked
with the industry and municipalities on an amendment designed to avoid overwhelming appeals boards
and prevent potential abuses of the process. This included expanding the time frame for an expedited
hearing to five days after an expedited appeal is requested (excluding holidays and weekends). The bill
also ensures that potential remedies within the local building department (outside of litigation) are
exhausted before an expedited appeal can be requested. These two items should avoid overwhelming
appeals boards and ensure they can continue to provide an appropriate level of service to the industry.

AGC appreciates Senator Roegner’s efforts to help the building industry with this legislation. Last
General Assembly, the House passed Representatives Roemer and Ray’s companion bill with an 83-7
bipartisan vote. This legislation contains the same language that was passed.

AGC of Ohio appreciates the committee’s consideration and urges you to support S.B. 41.

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