State Representative Michael Stinziano
18th House District
State Representative Cheryl Grossman
23rd House District
February 11, 2015
House Bill 31: Sponsor Testimony before the House State Government Committee
Chairman Maag, Vice Chair Kunze and Ranking Member Gerberry and members of the State and Local Government Committee: thank you for the opportunity to provide sponsor testimony on House Bill 31.
Our goal in sponsoring and re-introducing this legislation is to simply place “Hang on Sloopy”, the song that has been known as Ohio’s Official State Rock Song since 1985, into its proper place within the Ohio Revised Code.
As you may know, in 1965, a Dayton-based band, The McCoys, led now-legendary front man Rick Derringer, scored a No. 1 single with the song “Hang on Sloopy, written about Steubenville native Dorothy “Sloopy” Sloop, a real-life Ohio performer and lifelong Ohio resident who passed in 1998 at the age of 85. The song reached number one on the pop charts the year it debuted, and has continued to be enjoyed throughout the years by countless Ohioans and others around the country. Since then “Hang on Sloopy” has become synonymous with the state of Ohio and has also perhaps become best known as the informal anthem for Ohio State University football.
Still, despite the song’s popularity, “Hang on Sloopy” might not hold such a special place and designation in the hearts of Ohioans if it weren’t for a previous house action, sponsored in 1985 by then State Rep. Mike Stinziano and State Sen. Gene Watts, which made “Hang on Sloopy” Ohio’s official rock song. The impetus for this was a newspaper article, written around that time by Joe Dirck, a columnist for the Columbus Citizen-Journal, about the State of Washington considering the adoption of its own rock song. Upon learning of this, the Ohio General Assembly, through House Concurrent Resolution 16, voted to adopt our own state rock song (as Ohio is the birthplace of rock ‘n roll), and appropriately designated “Hang on Sloopy” (as it was written by Ohioans about an Ohioan) as Ohio’s official State Rock Song. At that time, Ohio was the only state to have an official rock song.
Given that history, it was brought to our attention during the 130th General Assembly that while a Concurrent Resolution is law, it is not preserved and memorialized within the Ohio Revised Code the way a statute is. Therefore, the only way to be sure that this state treasure remains Ohio’s official rock song in perpetuity, or at least until some future session of the General Assembly decided otherwise, is to enact a codified statute for the specific purpose of designating “Hang on Sloopy” as such. We feel that “Hang on Sloopy” must be protected as an indispensable piece of Ohio history, and should always remain our State Rock Song along with a number of other codified designations.
Simply stated, the law should match the legend.
This legislation is simple - placing “Hang on Sloopy” in its well-deserved and proper final home within the Ohio Revised Code. Through H.B. 31, we hope to place “Hang on Sloopy” among the ranks of such other officially codified and widely recognized Ohio symbols and designations, some of which passed in the 130th General Assembly, including O.R.C. 5.05 - The State Tree (Aesculus globra, commonly known as the "Buckeye”); O.R.C. 5.07 - State Gem Stone, ("Ohio Flint," a crypto-crystalline variety of quartz); O.R.C. - 5.082 State Native fruit (Asimina triloba, commonly known as the pawpaw); O.R.C. - 5.075 State Artifact (Adena pipe) and O.R.C. - 5.26 – Rascal Flats Day,
For a state which coined the term “Rock ‘n Roll,” it is only too appropriate to designate, once and for all, “Hang on Sloopy” as our official State Rock Song.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify on H.B.31. I would be happy to answer any questions at this time.