WASHINGTON — A U.S. Department of Commerce decision that favored the U.S. candle industry may benefit an Ohio company, according to Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, who wrote a letter to the Commerce Department earlier this year supporting U.S. candle producers.

The department ruled earlier this month that all petroleum-wax candles from China, except birthday, utility and figurine candles are subject to the anti-dumping duty. The United States has imposed duties on imports of certain candles from China since August 1986.

In August 2010, the Department of Commerce proposed limiting the scope of the order, which defines which candles are subject to the duty, to a limited number of candle shapes.

The National Candle Association, including Ohio-based company Candle-Lite, were concerned that such a ruling by the Department of Commerce would allow Chinese candle producers increased access to the U.S. market and might have led to unfair trade practices that would hurt the U.S. industry. Turner, in a press release, applauded the Department of Commerce’s decision.

Snyder to serve lobbying effort

Meghan Snyder, the spokeswoman for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, is taking a leave from that office to serve as the spokeswoman for Ohioans for Healthcare Freedom. The group will advocate for a November ballot issue that would prohibit Ohio from participating in the federal Affordable Care Act.

$16.2M OK’d for storm recovery

More than 20 Ohio counties that suffered from severe rainstorms and flooding will receive a total of $16.2 million in federal dollars from the Department of Labor to help recover from those storms.

The money, which will has been awarded to Ohio Department of Jobs of Family Services, is also aimed at creating jobs in southern ?Ohio, and is expected to pay for up to 1,144 temporary positions centered in Athens, Belmont, Gallia, Guernsey, Hocking, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Ross, Scioto, Vinton and Washington counties.

According to the Department of Labor, Ohio will receive $3.5 million initially. The money will help create jobs for cleanup and recovery efforts, including demolition, repair, renovation and reconstruction of destroyed public structures, facilities, and lands within the affected communities. The state can also use those dollars to provide job search assistance and retraining services when the temporary jobs are completed.

Super-committee protocol urged

Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Wadsworth, has sent a letter to ?House and Senate leaders? requesting transparency in the work of the so-called “super-committee” tasked with reducing deficits by $1.5 trillion in the aftermath of the debt ceiling increase.
Renacci’s letter, co-signed by Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., asks that all meetings and hearings of the committee be open to the public, broadcast on the Internet and archived on the committee’s website. It also asks that all legislative language put forward by the committee be posted online for at least 72 hours before the final committee vote. And he asks that campaign contributions to committee members be posted at least once a week. Renacci also asked that all meetings between lobbyists and other special interest groups and members of the committee and staff be posted online at least once a week.

The super-committee, he and Quigley wrote, “has the potential to make game-changing reforms that will remedy our budget for decades to come, and we support the efforts of the Committee.

“We simply want to ensure that the process by which these critical decisions are made, that will result in billions of dollars in budget cuts impacting every American, will be as open, transparent, and accountable as possible.”

The 12-member, bipartisan and bicameral committee, includes Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.