State Rep. Lauren McNally, D-Youngstown, is again introducing a bill designed to protect call center workers in Ohio.

McNally introduced the bill in the last General Assembly session. McNally said Michele Lepore-Hagan, a Youngstown Democrat who was her predecessor in the Ohio House, introduced a similar bill at least twice.

“I’m happy to continue working on it,” McNally said.

The latest Call Center Protection Act has state Rep. Matthew Kishman, R-Minerva, as the other main sponsor. The bill is awaiting a committee assignment.

The bill last year was referred to the House Commerce and Labor Committee and didn’t get a hearing.

The bill would require notification of relocation of call centers in the state and the disqualification of tax benefits for companies that move overseas.

McNally said: “As a practice, government has incentivized employers to create jobs and in some cases, those employers don’t keep that promise. The Consumer Protection Call Center Act will either incentivize employers to keep and maintain jobs in Ohio or recoup that government investment if they don’t follow through on employing Ohio workers. Either way, it’s better for workers in Ohio.”

McNally said the trend is for call centers to move out of Ohio.

“We want to stop the bleeding and maintain incentives to come to Ohio,” she said.

The bill would require an employer that intends to relocate a call center or operating units within a center from Ohio to a foreign country to notify the director of Job and Family Services at least 120 days before moving.

Failing to notify the JFS director at least 120 days before moving would result in the attorney general’s office seeking a civil penalty in court of up to $10,000 a day though the court could reduce that amount if “just cause” is shown.

It requires the JFS director to compile a list of employers every six months that have relocated a call center from Ohio to another country during the preceding six months.

The bill would disqualify, unless an exception applies, an employer that has relocated a call center or operating units within a center out of Ohio to another country from receiving a state grant, guaranteed loan, tax benefit or any other economic incentive from Ohio until at least five years after the relocation.

It also requires that all call center and customer service work done for a state agency be performed entirely within Ohio.