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Committee reviews broad occupational‑licensure package; medical board and radon professionals raise concerns
Summary
At a second hearing on HB 59, proponents urged modernizing credentialing, expanding reciprocity, and lowering some licensing fees; the State Medical Board warned proposed physician‑fee cuts could erase roughly $3.5–4.2 million annually and force significant staff reductions, while radon industry groups opposed eliminating a separate radon measurement license.
The House General Government Committee held a second hearing on House Bill 59, a comprehensive package of occupational‑licensing updates and fee changes. Proponent witnesses argued the package would reduce barriers to entry, align state credentialing with national standards and improve workforce recruitment.
Courtney Myers, president of the Ohio Environmental Health Association, told the committee HB 59 would modernize environmental‑health credentialing by broadening the definition of acceptable "basic sciences" and by shortening some training timelines to ease entry into the profession. Heather Farris of the Ohio School Counselor Association supported language that would retain initial building‑trades training for new counselors but remove a recurring five‑year requirement and allow broader professional‑development options on renewal.
Several business and policy advocates also testified. Hannah Cubbins of Americans for Prosperity Ohio said fee reductions and greater reciprocity would help workers and small businesses. Greg Lawson of the Buckeye Institute urged continuing the occupational‑licensure review process and collecting better comparative data across states.
Stephanie Luca, Executive Director of the State Medical Board of Ohio, provided detailed fiscal and operational testimony. She said the board is funded entirely by licensure fees, reported it now oversees nearly 104,000 licensees, and said personnel costs exceed 85% of its budget. Luca warned that proposed physician‑fee cuts in the bill would reduce board revenue by roughly $3.5 million to $4.2 million a year and projected that, by fiscal 2029, the board could face a significant deficit that would likely force "greater than a 30%" reduction in staff, which she estimated could approach 40% by 2029; she said such cuts would slow licensing timelines and investigations.
Opponents from the radon industry urged preserving separate radon measurement licensure. Jessica Karnes of the Ohio Association of Radon Professionals cited EPA zone‑map data showing widespread radon risk in Ohio and said the state presently has 479 radon measurement professionals, 203 mitigators and 133 contractors; she warned eliminating the measurement license would reduce consumer protections and compromise data integrity.
The committee did not take a vote at the close of the hearing. Witnesses and lawmakers requested follow‑up data from agencies about cash balances, fee comparisons and workforce impacts.
