Following last week’s elections, we’re checking in with some of the members of the state legislature from Northeast Ohio about their priorities for the lame duck session and the next term. Republican State Rep. Bill Roemer of Richfield was reelected for a second term last week to represent the 31st district in Summit County.
Roemer has nine bills pending in the Ohio Senate that he hopes to get passed in the lame duck session. Among them is a bill that would change the way cosmetologists and barbers are regulated.
“If you are a cosmetologist and you want to go to somebody’s house and give them a permanent because they’re homebound, you have to get a permit every time you do that," Roemer said.
Most people don’t follow all the regulations, said Roemer.
"We're going to eliminate things like that that people - that's just not common sense," Roemer said. "If you're a cosmetologist you ought to be able to go to grandma's house and give her a permanent."
He said his bill would update the rules.
"There's rules that are vastly different for barbers and cosmetologists," Roemer said, "so we've worked really for the last year and a half to come together to try to better regulate our barbers and cosmetologists, who are really small business owners."
Roemer also has a bill in the House that would allocate ARPA funds for elderly Ohioans to receive all-inclusive care that he hopes to get onto the governor’s desk.
"It's $54 million in ARPA funding, but it saves the state $30 million," Roemer said. "These are for older individuals that are dual Medicare Medicaid eligible, 90% or more of them, that allows them to stay in their home, get outstanding care at the PACE centers, and we're going to open up the PACE centers across Ohio."
PACE stands for Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly and is a managed care model that provides participants with healthcare, medical care and ancillary services in a variety of settings.
“They have better health outcomes. They’re happier. Their families are happier, and it saves the state of Ohio $30 million. So, I’m working very diligently," Roemer said. "That’s one of the bills that’s still in the House that we’re going to try to get through."
In his next term, Roemer said he will continue to focus on reducing overregulation and cutting taxes.
The Ohio legislature’s lame duck session starts today.
