About Policy and Advocacy

A major purpose of CCAO is to monitor legislation and educate members of the General Assembly and the Administration on issues of importance to counties. Legislation and rules enacted in Columbus directly influence the management and financing of county government. The CCAO policy team provides technical assistance to counties, creates and updates resources on state policy and legislation pertinent to counties, and advocates on behalf of counties before the executive, legislative and judicial branches of state government.

To learn more about CCAO's Policy and Advocacy work, navigate to the relevant page either on the sidebar or from the menu below!

  • Publications & Documents: A hub to important documents, such as the Legislative Platform, Candidates Briefing Guide, and Statehouse Report, and to other resources like the Commissioners Handbook and the County Data Exchange.
  • Meet the Policy Staff: As the name suggestions, click here to meet the CCAO Policy Team. Here you can learn our backgrounds and what our areas of expertise are so you can know which team member to contact with your questions. 
  • Legislative Platform: Updated every General Assembly, the Legislative Platform is the guiding document for all of our advocacy efforts. It is the comprehensive declaration of the top issues that our members have directed us to work with the executive and legislature in order to create stronger counties and better serve Ohio's residents.
  • State Advocacy: Providing a narrower focus than the Platform, this page provides an overview of the top issues facing counties and provides a link to county and Association testimony to the General Assembly. 
  • Statehouse Report: The Statehouse Report is CCAO's weekly policy-focused newsletter. The page provides links to prior issues and a subscription link.
  • Ohio Delegation: This page displays Ohio's federal delegation, along with a map of Congressional districts so residents can find which Congress member represents them.
  • Alerts: During periods of heavy legislative activity, the Policy Team may need to issue alerts to counties on fast-moving pieces of legislation so members can reach out to their representatives and senators and make their stance known. These alerts will be posted on this page as well as emailed to members.