Ohio Northern University welcomed Rep. Bob Latta to the Dicke Forum on March 29.

The topic of Latta’s talk was ”How important is the manufacturing industry to government? How is the government supporting the manufacturing industry in Ohio and surrounding region?”

It was followed by a question-and-answer session with those in attendance. The event was co-sponsored by the Department of Technological Studies and the Department of History, Politics, and Justice.

During his presentation Rep. Latta emphasized that Ohio’s 5th district has over 60,000 manufacturing jobs. He discussed the need for environmental regulations, but cautioned that regulations must be reasonably implemented as to not overburden manufacturing companies, causing companies to close.

Latta concluded the evening by encouraging students to be great. “Good luck. We need you. . . We can out produce anybody in the world. We can make a better product than anyone else in the world. . . I think our best days are before us. . . I’ll look forward to seeing your names in the future when I read articles about ONU students doing great things in the future of manufacturing.”

Latta represents Ohio’s 5th Congressional District and is currently serving his fifth term in the United States House of Representatives. He serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He is vice-chair of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology and a member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Power and the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy.

In addition, Latta serves as a deputy whip and co-chair of the Congressional Propane Caucus.

Throughout his tenure, Latta has advocated for the interests of the people of Northwest and West Central Ohio, while promoting policies that further economic prosperity and job creation throughout the country. His top priorities include balancing the budget, reducing the national debt and working toward commonsense government reforms.