Rep. Greg Landsman wants to stop data center developers from swearing local officials to secrecy.

Landsman, a Democrat whose district includes Mason and Deerfield Township, introduced the No Secrets for Data Centers Act on Wednesday, Sept. 23, alongside Rep. Tom Barrett, a Michigan Republican, and Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat. The bipartisan bill would void non-disclosure agreements, or NDAs, that prevent public officials from telling residents about proposed data center projects, as first reported by the Warren County Post.

"Big Tech needs to be transparent about these deals, not force local officials to sign NDAs and keep secrets from their communities. That means no more NDAs. Transparency can't just be a promise – it needs to be law," Landsman said.

The bill targets facilities with a peak power load above 50 megawatts. Under its terms, any NDA signed by a public official or tied to public funds, public land or a tax incentive would be void and unenforceable in court or arbitration, according to the bill text. Data center operators could not receive tax abatements, grants, loans or other public incentives conditioned on secrecy clauses.

The legislation arrives as Warren County weighs its own response to data center growth. One day before the bill's introduction, the Warren County Board of Commissioners discussed a temporary moratorium on data center developments at a Tuesday, Sept. 22, work session, the Warren County Post reported. Warren County Director of Building and Zoning Ray Drafft told Commissioners Shannon Jones, Tom Grossmann and Dave Young that the county's rural zoning code lacks specific regulations for large "hyperscale" data centers.

Commissioners raised concerns about effects on residential utility rates, water supply and noise from cooling fans.

Turtlecreek Township Trustee Jonathan Sams spoke at the work session in support of a cautious approach, noting that portions of Turtlecreek Township sit above a sensitive aquifer. County officials are awaiting results of a Southwest Ohio water sustainability study by the Ohio EPA and the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, scheduled for release in November 2026.

The commissioners directed the prosecutor's office to draft a formal moratorium resolution. A public hearing will be scheduled after the draft is complete.

Statewide, Ohio already has more than 200 operational data centers, with about 80 more proposed or planned, according to the Ohio Consumers' Council. Gov. Mike DeWine paused consideration of new data center tax exemptions in May 2026, WCPO reported.

Barrett said the bill addresses a "recent surge in NDAs" that keeps residents "in the dark about how a data center might affect their land, their water, and their electric bills — until it's too late."

The No Secrets for Data Centers Act has been referred to committee. No hearing date has been set.