Legislative Updates

The staff at Shumaker Advisors, the firm that lobbies for OACVB, updates members regularly via e-mail regarding the latest government activity that could impact OACVB members. When the state legislature is in session, members receive a customized Legislative Week in Review, offering status updates of the legislation being tracked for OACVB and an overview of the week in politics. When news breaks that members need to know, they will receive a Special Update report, providing the latest information that members need to know. Sign up for a membership now!

Advocacy Events

OACVB hosts regular events that give members the opportunity to meet with elected officials. Our State Lobbying Day is scheduled annually, often in partnership with industry partners, including the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association, the Ohio Restaurant Association and the Ohio Travel Association. These events create a unified front where members have the opportunity to meet their legislators to discuss important industry issues and network with industry peers. As needed, OACVB also coordinates with national organizations on Federal Lobbying Days and fly ins.

Contact My Legislator

Decisions made at the Columbus Statehouse on lodging tax rules, tourism funding, and economic development grants directly affect your DMO’s budget and programs. Knowing your legislators and what they’re working on means you can reach out at the right moment, not after a bill has already passed.

How-to:

1. Find both your legislators at once: Use the combined Ohio Legislature district lookup at legislature.ohio.gov/legislators/district-maps, enter your home AND or office address, and it returns both your state senator and your state representative together, since one covers roughly three House districts.

2. Follow a specific legislator: On their profile page on the Ohio General Assembly site, note their committee assignments and sponsored bills; this page updates automatically as their record grows.

3. Set up bill alerts: Use the “Track Bills” / email notification feature on legislature.ohio.gov (free account) to get an email any time a bill you choose has activity.

4. Watch for OACVB’s Legislative Week in Review: this is curated for you already by Shumaker Advisors and flags anything DMO-relevant; treat it as your filter for the noise.

• Click here to find your Ohio Senator and Representative.
• Click here to find my US Representative.
• Ohio’s Senate.
• Ohio’s House of Representatives.

The combined legislature.ohio.gov tool is the fastest way to get both legislators in one search, but the Senate and House each also maintain their own dedicated version if you prefer to go straight to one chamber’s site.

How-to find your Senator steps:

1. Go to the Ohio Senate’s own “Find Your Senator” tool at ohiosenate.gov/members/district-map.

2. Enter your home or office address (or use the map view) to see which of the 33 Senate districts you fall into.

3. Click through to that senator’s profile page for their committee assignments, sponsored bills, and district office contact information.

4. If you’d rather confirm your representative the same way, the Ohio House runs an equivalent tool at ohiohouse.gov/members/district-map, covering the House’s 99 districts.

Political Action Committee

OACVB PAC strengthens your voice in politics. By supporting the OACVB PAC, you demonstrate to candidates that CVB’s are engaged in the political process and hold elected officials accountable for their decisions. The purpose of the PAC is to support candidates who recognize the importance of travel and tourism to the state economy.

How to Track Committees and Legislation

Bills are shaped in committee before they ever reach a floor vote — that’s where testimony and amendments happen, and where a DMO’s voice can have the most impact.

How to Track steps:

1. Identify relevant committees: Finance, Ways & Means, Economic & Workforce Development, and Tourism-adjacent committees are the ones OACVB tracks most closely.

2. Find a committee’s schedule: Committee pages on the Ohio General Assembly site list upcoming hearings and agendas, usually posted a few days in advance.

3. Track a specific bill: Every bill page shows its current committee, all votes/actions to date, and linked documents (bill text, fiscal notes, testimony). Bookmark the bill’s own page rather than searching each time.

4. Know when to act: OACVB’s government affairs team (Shumaker Advisors) will flag when a bill is moving and whether written or in-person testimony is being requested. Watch for those callouts in the Week in Review.