This evening, the Ohio Society of Association Executives, under direction of the OSAE Executive Committee, submitted written testimony with the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee expressing concerns over language contained in Senate Bill 255 (PDF, which will download directly to your computer). The bill, which is currently being reviewed in the Senate, focuses on non-governmental professional credentialing.
The organization understands that non-governmental professional credentialing is vital to the state’s workforce. As the largest provider of post-college professional training for workers, associations administer credentialing and certification programs for many professionals as a means of enhancing their reputation and competence in their respective field and to enable those professionals to demonstrate that they meet established standards of professional skill, competence and knowledge in their fields. OSAE believes that additional input be sought from the countless associations that improve, employ and strengthen Ohio’s workforce and economic engine prior to any such action be undertaken by Ohio's governmental bodies.
Since its 1938 founding, OSAE has provided a variety of tangible benefits, products and services designed to enhance growth, development and professional expertise among its membership. The association profession is diverse, its leaders knowledgeable and its experiences truly unique. As a nonprofit serving Ohio's powerful, economic-driving association industry, OSAE is proud to champion Ohio's associations and the professionals who serve in them. The organization assists its membership, comprised of association professionals, industry partners, professional services and hospitality peers, in efforts that best allow them to serve their unique communities and strengthen Ohio’s rich business environment. At the heart of our community are people – researchers, innovators, mentors, communicators – whose expertise and hard work collectively help to create a stronger Ohio.
For these reasons, the organization submitted its written testimony against the bill. The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) also submitted testimony. To read the letter that ASAE's President & CEO John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE, please select this link.
The organization will continue to follow this piece of legislation and provide updates as they become available.