Rep. Baker's high school internships bill signed into law

Ohio Governor John Kasich recently signed into law an internship bill sponsored by State Rep. Nan Baker. Witnessing the signing were, from left, Pauline VanDyke, Duane VanDyke, Rep. Baker, Garret VanDyke, Porter Library Director Andrew Mangels, West Shore Chamber of Commerce Executive Director John Sobolewski, Athena Fassett and Craig Baker.

State Representative Nan Baker has announced that Governor John Kasich signed into law House Bill 107, which creates a $1 million pilot project to provide grants to certain businesses for employing high school students to career exploration internships.

“As one of the nation’s top job-creators over the past three years, Ohio is once again attracting young, talented people looking for opportunities to start their careers,” said Baker, the sponsor of the legislation and chair of the House Economic Development and Regulatory Reform Committee. “This bill is an important step toward helping students in our state gain firsthand experience in fields that interest them, so that they may be better prepared to pursue those interests in a competitive jobs market. I was proud of the work that has been done with this bill, and I was happy to see the Governor sign it into law.”

The grants are limited to businesses that operate primarily in Ohio and would equal 50 percent of the wages paid to student interns with a maximum of $5,000. Prior to being eligible for a grant, a business must submit both an application and a completion report to the Development Services Agency. Businesses can be eligible for no more than three grants a year.

The project would be funded by money left over in a casino licensing fund that was earmarked for workforce development efforts. Grants would be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

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Volume 6, Issue 8, Posted 10:20 AM, 04.15.2014