'5 Questions With' Ohio State Senator Matt Dolan

1.  You outperformed the top of the ticket. What were the keys to your impressive re-election victory?

I have a great campaign team. Without community or public events to meet the voters, I engaged in very aggressive door-to-door, reaching over 100,000 voters at over 30,000 houses. Thanks to tremendous financial support we were able to get my message out on TV, radio, internet and the mail.

2.  Governor DeWine recently stated that Ohio’s two nuclear plants are an important Ohio resource for carbon-free electricity generation and the plants should be saved, but HB 6 repealed.  What is your view on the plants and the legislation?

Due to the criminal acts of the former Speaker, the bill needs to be repealed and then replaced. I’d like to keep the plants operational. The question remains whether rate payers need, for a short period of time, to subsidize their operations. I also will fight to maintain the RPS at 12.5%.

3.  You are sponsoring B Corp legislation.  What is the status of that legislation and why is this issue important to you?

Senate Bill 21 is currently out of committee and waiting for a floor vote in the House. The benefit corporation model is important because of the outside investors who may limit their investments to benefit corporations only. I don’t want Ohio to miss out on these funds and potential economic growth.

4.  What are your top goals for the lame duck session?

I want to pass a capital budget with community projects, get Senate Bill 21 signed by the Governor, fix House Bill 6 and continue our COVID-19 response by providing statutory relief from deadlines or regulations that can’t be met during this difficult time.

5.  What are your top goals for the next General Assembly?

As always, creating a climate for a vibrant growing economy, which includes low taxes, fair regulations, upgraded workforce development programs, quality education and infrastructure improvements. I also will work on energy issues, particularly alternative energy generation so Ohio is truly an all of the above state. I also want to continue the fight to reduce gun violence in our state.