The bill, introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives as H.B. 145, would prohibit Ohio state agencies from using electronic services if two or more commercial entities were selling the same information or service. The bill, which passed the House as part of the state's budget bill (H.B. 95) and is now under consideration by the Ohio Senate, would give companies the right to sue the state agency for competing with the for-profit company if the state agency and multiple commercial entities were providing the basic government service.
In an editorial published on April 24, 2003, the Cleveland Plain Dealer called this bill a "clumsy attempt to benefit private companies that peddle public information."
This and similar bills under consideration in Massachusetts, South Carolina and Rhode Island would force government to avoid competing with the private sector. This bill puts private interests over the public interest and forces the public to pay companies for public information for which taxpayers have already paid. For further information and a chance to write state legislators considering the noncompetition bill, read the OMB Watch analysis.