Author: Kevin Wieging
HB433 Successfully passed through the Ohio House of Representatives 87-4 back in November and continues it way through the legislative process being introduced to the Ohio Senate the same month. HB433 has been referred to committee for review by the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. On March 3, a 2nd hearing was held on the bill allowing for proponent testimony with a total of 9 formal documents submitted in support of the changes. Four IOA members provided in person testimony.
A 3rd hearing is still pending and may be scheduled very soon where the Ohio Fair Managers Association and Greater Ohio Showmen’s Association (GOSA) are expected to oppose the recommended revisions. IOA continues to encourage membersto support the changes and small businesses providing inflatable amusement rentals to further get involved. HB433 is seen as fair and essentially a correction of excess fees that have previously been charged and failed to be reviewed.
The following information was taken from Testimony provided by Tammy Chapmen from A&S Party Rental and IOA member:
Core Principle of HB 433
Inspection fees should reflect actual inspection time.
Under the current system, they do not.
A bounce house may take approximately 20 minutes to inspect. A large roller coaster or major amusement ride can require multiple days of inspection time. Yet the fee allocation does not proportionally reflect those differences in workload.
As a result, smaller operators have been subsidizing the inspection costs of large amusement parks and major ride operators for over two decades.
Department Time Study Confirmation
The Ohio Department of Ride Safety was tasked with conducting a non-biased statewide time study. Their findings confirmed that the current fee structure is disproportionate and does not align with actual inspection hours.
The Department recommended transitioning to a time-based inspection fee model.
House Bill 433 implements that recommendation.
Fairness Applies in Both Directions
I own several small family rides. Under a time-based system, my inspection fees for those rides will increase. I am willing to pay my fair share.
Other companies should not subsidize my rides, and I should not be subsidizing billion-dollar parks.
This legislation does not shift burden — it corrects imbalance.