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Senate committee favorably reports resolution backing effort to relocate NASA headquarters to Ohio
Summary
The Senate General Government Committee voted 6-0 to favorably report Senate Resolution 68, which encourages relocating NASA headquarters to Ohio when the agency's Washington, D.C., lease expires in 2028; proponents cited existing Ohio aerospace assets and potential economic benefits.
The Senate General Government Committee on a voice and roll-call vote favorably reported Senate Resolution 68, a nonbinding resolution encouraging the relocation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s headquarters to Ohio once the agency’s Washington, D.C., lease expires in August 2028.
Sponsor testimony from the committee chair described Ohio’s aerospace history and infrastructure, including NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, the Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. “Ohioans led the way in both flight and space exploration,” the sponsor said, citing names like the Wright brothers and John Glenn as part of the state’s aerospace heritage and arguing Ohio could offer lower operating costs and a skilled workforce.
Michael McLean, testifying for the Ohio Business Roundtable and the Ohio Grants Alliance, told the committee that regional business groups, JobsOhio and congressional delegation members have coordinated in recent months to promote an expansion of NASA operations in Northeast Ohio. McLean said proponents emphasize the region’s aerospace infrastructure, lower operational costs and workforce development benefits and urged support for the resolution.
The committee received additional written proponent testimony from several regional organizations, including the Central Ohio Defense Group, the Dayton Development Coalition, the Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Cleveland Partnership. The sponsor also said state leadership, including Governor DeWine and members of Ohio’s congressional delegation, are actively advocating for relocation.
The committee chair recognized a motion from Vice Chair Gavron to favorably report the resolution to the Committee on Rules and Reference; the clerk recorded a roll-call vote with six yes votes and no no votes. The clerk recorded the following yes votes: Chair Rovner, Vice Chair Gavron, Senator Reineke, Senator Timken, Ranking Member Blackshear and Senator Mora. The motion passed 6-0 and the resolution was reported to Rules and Reference.
The resolution is nonbinding; proponents and the sponsor acknowledged the ultimate decision would rest with NASA and federal authorities and said the resolution is designed to support Ohio’s outreach and coordination efforts ahead of the agency’s lease expiration.
