As the Ohio House was going through multiple rounds of voting to pick a new speaker, the Senate passed a surprise amendment to expand the state auditor’s power to look into the workings of the privatized non-profit entity JobsOhio.
The original bill creates a crowdfunding platform for entrepreneurs to seek investors from around the state. And the JobsOhio audit language that was tacked onto it barely got a reference on the Senate floor from Republican state Sen. Frank LaRose of Hudson.
“An amendment was added that pertains to the auditing of JobsOhio,” he said.
The amendment gives the state auditor more of a role in the scope and review of performance audits of JobsOhio by private firms. Auditor Dave Yost has long wanted more authority over those reviews, but JobsOhio has been exempted from public records law.
Republican Senate President Larry Obhof says his chamber is supportive of increased transparency for JobsOhio, which is objecting to the change. The House will now consider it.
