Interested Party Testimony — House Development Committee, HB 96 FY26-27 State Operating Budget (February 26, 2025)

Summary

Interested party testimony to the House Development Committee on HB 96, the FY26-27 State Operating Budget, dated February 26, 2025, from Howard Thompson of Manufacturing Works. The testimony supports Baldwin Wallace University's funding request through the Department of Development's Local Development Projects line to expand the NEOFIX program by creating the Ohio Community Drone Infrastructure Program. It states that Ohio has its own rules for drones with the passage of HB77 in December 2024. It lists programs the infrastructure enables, including "Drone-as-a-First Responder", emergency medical delivery and commercial drone delivery services.

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                   Interested Party Testimony- House Development Committee
                            HB 96 — FY26-27 State Operating Budget
                                        February 26, 2025
Chairman Hoops, Vice Chair Lorenz, Ranking Member Abdullahi and members of the committee.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on House Bill 96 — in support of Baldwin
Wallace University’s funding request of $2.5.M over the biennium through the Department of
Development’s Local Development Projects line — to expand the NEOFIX program to support
drone infrastructure for safety and community development to initial partner communities
throughout Ohio by creating the Ohio Community Drone Infrastructure Program.
My name is Howard Thompson, I am the Project Management Liaison for Manufacturing Works.
Manufacturing Works serves Northern Ohio as a non-profit, regional economic development
agency focused on industry outreach, supply chain, technology alignment, strategic planning, and
workforce development (specifically apprenticeship, mentorship, leadership, and youth
development). Our leadership is guided by a Board of Directors comprised of the businesses we
serve and the regional institutions we support.
With the passage of HB77 in December 2024, Ohio now officially has its own rules for drones,
allowing the state to charge those who operate drones recklessly, interfere with first responder
activities, or commit other safety violations. The Ohio Community Drone Infrastructure Program
leverages a successful program in Northeast Ohio that demonstrates affordable drone infrastructure
for Ohio. In the context of HB77, the program supports better awareness for private and
commercial drone pilots and provides Ohio public safety entities with better awareness of what’s
flying over Ohio communities. With increasing drone flights, there’s a growing risk of serious
issues, including crashes and drones being used for illegal activities, making it important for law
enforcement to have these tools.
But with safety and clarity also come opportunities for Ohio’s communities. This infrastructure
also enables programs such as 1) “Drone-as-a-First Responder” which allows police and fire to
extend the capacity of scarce resources, reduce unnecessary dispatch, and de-escalate responses;
2) emergency medical delivery which has the potential to save hundreds of Ohio lives and many
millions of Medicaid dollars each year; and 3) commercial drone delivery services (including
medical) which will create new services for Ohio residents and hundreds of new high-tech jobs for
our high school graduates.
The strategic roadmap created by Manufacturing Works and the Northern Ohio Governance
Advisory Network has been designed to serve as a regional template adaptable anywhere across
Ohio. As the first step in the roadmap, NEOFIX exemplifies that this model aligns with the state’s
DriveOhio July 2022 AAM Framework and can contribute to success for the entire State of Ohio.


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An important lesson of our roadmap development has been understanding that we must include
both private and public stakeholders in the process. Just over a week ago we held an Aerospace
and Advanced Air Mobility Supplier Summit where we brought together industry such as Parker
Aerospace, Skypro (which is a drone manufacturer), Ohio Homeland Security, Lorain County
Community College, Cleveland State University to identify how we work together to advance
AAM business development initiatives. We have substantial experience with this process in
Northeast Ohio and are excited to support the State of Ohio by bringing our expertise to anywhere
in the state where it is needed.
I respectfully request your support of Baldwin Wallace University’s budget request so we can
make Ohio a leading state in AAM.
Thank you for your time and the opportunity. I will now take any questions you may have.
Howard Thompson
Director of Business Development
Manufacturing Works




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