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Committee hears second testimony on overhaul of amusement-ride fees; industry backs lower charges for inflatables
Summary
House Bill 433, brought for a second hearing, would restructure inspection and licensing fees for amusement rides to match inspector time; industry witnesses and the Ohio Department of Agriculture said the proposal is revenue-neutral and aims to reduce disproportionate costs on small inflatable-rental businesses.
The Ohio House Agriculture Committee held a second hearing on House Bill 433, a bill that would revise the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s amusement-ride licensing and inspection fee schedule to better align fees with estimated inspector time. Director Baldridge of the Ohio Department of Agriculture described a multi-year review by an industry-staff subcommittee and said the proposed structure is revenue-neutral for the department.
“[W]e evaluated hours spent on every different level of rides,” Director Baldridge told the committee, describing a process that ranged from quick inspections of inflatable units to multi-day reviews of large mechanical rides. He said the review was unanimous in the subcommittee and in the full amusement-ride safety committee, and that the department aims to keep “safety first” while realigning fees.
Industry witnesses argued that the current fee structure…
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