OMEA

Formed in 1962, the Ohio Municipal Electric Association (OMEA) is the legislative liaison to 80 Ohio community-owned-and-operated municipal electric systems.

The Ohio Municipal Electric Association provides legislative liaison services for American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) and 80 Ohio public power communities, with the goal of protecting the independence and constitutional rights of Ohio municipal electric systems. OMEA services include lobbying, member activities, coalition building, and legislative and regulatory analysis. The OMEA also serves as the legislative liaison to AMP and represents the state and federal legislative interests of the organization.

Although closely aligned with AMP, the OMEA is a separate, nonprofit entity guided by a 16-member Board of Directors. The OMEA Board is composed of 12 elected officials from member communities and four municipal electric systems representatives who may be, but are not required to be, elected officials of the communities they serve.

OMEA staff perform five primary functions:

• Monitor Legislation- OMEA staff review, on average, more than 500 bills each year for their potential to affect municipal electric systems. Bills with such potential are examined in detail and tracked as they progress through the legislative process. The OMEA also monitors and tracks federal legislation affecting public power systems and AMP.
• Advocate- OMEA staff and community officials meet with legislators, key legislative staff and state and federal agency officials, relating the organization’s position on important issues and fostering an awareness of the organization, its projects and its member municipal electric systems.
• Build coalitions- The OMEA participates in coalitions on legislative issues, and works to create awareness of public power issues with various interest groups and allies. It also works closely with the American Public Power Association on national public power issues and with the Ohio Municipal League on state issues of mutual interest.
• Act as an information resource- The OMEA staff and counsel regularly provide information to members, the media and other audiences about legislative and regulatory issues, including energy and environmental policy, tax structures, tax-exempt financing, wholesale market policies and municipal rights.
• Organize member activities- As part of its mission, the OMEA develops and organizes programs to keep members aware of, and involved in, the legislative process.

OMEA Board of Directors

For more information, please contact Michael Beirne, OMEA executive director, at 614.540.1111 or [email protected].