Smart Business Magazine, September 2017

September 2017 Smart Business Columbus 9 ANDREW E DOEHREL President and CEO Ohio Chamber of Commerce Ohios largest and most diverse statewide business advocacy group has been a consistent voice for business since 1893 As the states leading business advocate and resource the Ohio Chamber aggressively champions free enterprise economic competitiveness and growth for the benefits of all Ohioans 614 228 4201 adoehrel@ ohiochamber com www ohiochamber com The impact of opioids and weapons Advocating for a broader spectrum of business issues These new issues directly impact the workplace and workforce Opioid epidemic Ohio leads the nation in drug overdose deaths 4149 at the halfway mark this year far outpacing last years record of 3050 deaths We also lead the nation with the most opioid overdoses the highest number of deaths due to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanil and the most heroin deaths After much discussion the Ohio Chambers board of directors formed an Opioid Task Force to explore what role the chamber can play in helping to solve this statewide crisis We learned that drug usage whether prescription or street drugs is having a major impact on Ohios workforce Employers cant hire much needed employees because they cant pass drug tests while others have employees or family members dealing with drug addiction The Task Force heard from people in the mental health arena those who deal with treatment and those who help curtail the distribution and usage of prescription and street drugs We are working with our member Working Partners to develop a training video Working Partners has helped over 1700 Ohio companies implement and maintain a drug free workplace The video will educate employers on recognizing drug abuse how to provide assistance legal implications and more We hope to have it available free of charge in the next several months Weapons and property rights Since concealed carry passed in 2003 the Ohio Chamber has advocated for employers rights to prohibit weapons on their property Alarmingly lawmakers made two changes recently with a third making its way through the legislature that interfere with an employers right to decide whether to allow weapons on its private property Last December a bill banned employers from prohibiting firearms in private vehicles parked on their property In June as part of the state budget lawmakers added a penalty provision for employer violations of that statute It would have created civil liability for businesses and property owners to include damages attorneys fees and court costs for any violations The Ohio Chamber convinced the legislature to alter it to only allow an individual to seek injunctive relief for an alleged violation of the law While an improvement this is still problematic Less than a week later HB 233 which allows a concealed handgun license holder to carry any deadly weapon onto or into a private business and face no criminal repercussions so long as the individual leaves upon request passed the House In addition to removing existing criminal penalties HB 233 takes away the ability for a business or property owner to pursue any civil action for trespass against the person When the General Assembly returns we will continue to advocate for the employers right to decide if weapons are allowed on their property While these issues may have been seen as more social they affect the workplace They can impact the economic competitiveness and growth of Ohio businesses and thus deserve our attention just as any of our traditional issues do As the advocate for Ohios businesses the Ohio Chamber of Commerce often talks about affordable health care a balanced and predictable judicial system or a competitive tax climate While we wont stop advocating on these issues we are increasingly aware we need to be involved in a broader spectrum of subjects like the opioid epidemic and weapons on business property linkedin com company ohio chamber of commerce facebook com OhioChamber @ OhioChamber ANDREW E DOEHREL FROM THE OHIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE