Improving Ohio’s legal environment (SB 80)

Spearheaded by The Ohio Society of CPAs, the Ohio Alliance for Civil Justice’s tort reform coalition was successful in its effort to enact reasonable caps on punitive and non-economic damages, and allows a jury to be informed about other monetary awards a plaintiff will receive for the same injury, requires that injuries caused by defective products or construction be filed within 10 years of the time the construction was completed or the product enters the stream of commerce. Such changes will help to ensure that CPAs and all other Ohioans will be better protected from frivolous lawsuits and excessive awards, and will be better able to fight in court for fair outcomes. This legislation was signed into law January 2005.

More information:

• Senate Bill 80 
  

Ongoing success

• Commercial Activity Tax: Keeping the base broad and rate low
• Interstate practice issues; state-to-state license mobility
• Sales tax on services

2007

• Modification to Ohio’s tax code (Sub. HB 157)
• Changes to title agency review rules (Sub. HB 157)
• Further uniformity to Ohio’s municipal income tax collection methods (Sub. HB 224)
• Improving the internal audit function of Ohio Executive Branch (Sub. HB 166)
• Ohio Government Audit Work Paper Public Record Issue

2006

• Title agency review rules
• Ohio government audit work paper public record issue
• Audit work paper confidentiality (HB 9)
• Gramm-Leach-Bliley privacy notification exemption (SB 2856)
• Ohio income tax residency requirements; increase in contact periods (HB 73)
• Statute of limitations for tax collection (HB 390)
• ORC and IRC uniformity regarding treatment of charitable pension distributions (HB 699)
• Ohio attorney general rules impacting charitable entities
• Data breach legislation (HB 104)

2005

• Tax reform (HB 66)
• Protecting the regulation of the accounting profession (HB 66)
• Improving Ohio’s legal environment (SB 80)

2004

• Agreed upon rules and procedures for nonprofit child caring agencies
• Elimination of licensed professionals from independent contractor classification (HB 200)

2003

• Municipal income tax reform (HB 95)
• Tort reform; limiting abusive lawsuits (SB 120)