Political Education -- Ohio Federation of Republican Women

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Political Education

Summer 2010

In This Issue

Introduced - Senate

Introduced - House

Voter Registration Increases

This and That

Articles of Interest

Critter Corner

Important Differences

OFRW

Dear OFRW Members:

This has been a busy summer for me, so I apologize for not getting an issue out in July.

This edition has some of the regularly introduced legislation, as well as articles that I found interesting, including the "important" differences between John Kasich and Ted Strickland.

Enjoy the rest of your summer - it's almost "Back to School" time!

Sincerely,

Sharon C. Gingerich

INTRODUCED - SENATE

Senate Activity

SB 282 SPECIALIZED VEHICLES (Seitz) To establish conditions for the operation of certain specialized motor vehicles, including low-speed and under-speed vehicles, mopeds and scooters, cab-enclosed motorcycles, and mini-trucks.

SB 283 NURSING HOME REIMBURSEMENT (Morano, Stewart, J.) To revise the types of costs included in determining nursing facilities' Medicaid reimbursement rates.

SB 284 TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS (Kearney) To require the Director of Development and the Transportation Review Advisory Council, when considering project incentive awards, to provide a point preference to projects located within two miles of a Center of Excellence in Higher Education or located in Ohio Hubs of Innovation and Opportunity or Heritage Ohio Main Street Program communities.

SB 285 LAW ENFORCEMENT DEDUCTION (Kearney) To allow an income tax deduction for amounts spent by law enforcement officials for items used in furtherance of official law enforcement activities.

SB 286 REAL ESTATE DEPOSITS (Kearney) To require earnest money for the purchase of residential real estate to be deposited in an interest-bearing account to be used to fund foreclosure prevention programs.

SB 287 WINE PRODUCERS (Schaffer) To exclude manufacturers of wine from regulation as food processing establishments under the Pure Food and Drug Law.

SB 288 GROCERY STORES (Kearney) To authorize a commercial activity tax credit for underserved community grocery stores.

INTRODUCED - HOUSE

House Activity

HB 542 EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS (Stebelton) To gradually increase to 20,000 the number of Educational Choice Scholarships awarded annually.

HB 543 TAXES/UC BENEFITS (Domenick) To allow an individual to have Ohio income taxes withheld from unemployment compensation benefits payable to that individual.

HB 544 SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS (Ruhl, Burke) To add synthetic cannabinoids commonly known as K2 or Spice to the list of Schedule I controlled substances, prohibit the possession of Spice, prohibit trafficking in Spice, and provide that if Spice is the drug involved in a violation of the offense of corrupting another with drugs the penalty for the violation will be the same as if marihuana was the drug involved in the offense.

HB 545 OPERATING RULE DISCLOSURE (Yuko) To require disclosure to a merchant of the operating rules referenced in, or otherwise applicable as terms and conditions of, an electronic payment system contract, to permit the merchant to disclose operating rule information, to permit a retail dealer of gasoline to offer discount prices for gasoline purchases made by cash, debit card, check, or any similar means rather than by credit card, and to prohibit a franchise contract from limiting a franchisee from offering such a discount.

HB 550 SECURITIES ACT (Snitchler, Okey) To specify the form of financial statements and to include administrative assessments and other remedies as a remedy for a violation of the Ohio Securities

HB 551 MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC SURPLUS (Snitchler) To require a municipal utility supplying surplus electricity to nonresidents to provide written notice of termination one year before terminating the service.

HB 552 SPEEDING VIOLATIONS (Hagan, Gerberry) To prohibit a person from being arrested, charged, or convicted for speeding on a public street, highway, private road, or driveway based on a peace officer's unaided visual estimation of the speed of a motor vehicle, trackless trolley, or streetcar.

HB 553 SPEEDING VIOLATIONS (Sears) To prohibit a person from being arrested, charged, or convicted for speeding on a public street, highway, private road, or driveway based on a peace officer's unaided visual estimation of the speed of a motor vehicle, trackless trolley, or streetcar.

HB 554 INSTALLMENT LOANS (Luckie) To establish the Installment Loan Act.

HB 557 HOME IMPROVEMENT (Murray) To establish laws governing the practices of home improvement contractors and to provide civil remedies for home owners who are damaged by a home improvement contractor who violates the law.

HB 558 BELMONT COURT (Domenick) To eliminate a judgeship in the Belmont County Court and to declare an emergency.

HB 559 HOMEOWNER INSURANCE (Domenick) To require insurers to offer Minimum coverage policies of homeowners or basic property insurance.

HB 560 LATE FEE ELIMINATION (Newcomb) To eliminate the late fee of twenty dollars for motor vehicle registrations, commercial driver's licenses, driver's licenses, and motorcycle endorsements established by the biennial transportation appropriations act of the 128th General Assembly for deposit primarily into the State Highway Safety Fund and to establish a refund procedure for persons who paid the late fee.

HB 561 OBM WEBSITE (McGregor) To require the Office of Budget and Management to maintain a web site showing capital project appropriations and reappropriations and to submit a biennial report to the General Assembly.

HB 562 COMMUNITY SCHOOLS (Dyer) To specify the conditions for establishing a new start-up community school after June 30, 2011, and to repeal the prohibition on persons serving on the governing authorities of more than two start-up community schools simultaneously.

HB 563 WAR ORPHANS SCHOLARSHIP (Wachtmann) To qualify for the War Orphans Scholarship children of military veterans who served in Grenada during the intervention.

HB 564 STROKE PATIENTS (Boyd) To provide for designation of hospital primary stroke centers and establishment of protocols for emergency triage, treatment, and transport of stroke patients.

HB 565 DRUNKEN DRIVING (Fende) To prohibit a person from entrusting a motor vehicle to a person whom the entruster knows or has reasonable cause to believe is subject to pending OVI or OVUAC charges and to provide that the penalty for a violation of that prohibition or the existing prohibitions related to entrustment of a motor vehicle to a person whose driver's license is suspended under the Implied Consent Law or who is intoxicated is a felony of the fifth degree with a Class 6 judicial license suspension if the other person's act of driving the vehicle caused the death of another.

HB 566 PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS (Murray) To make clear that the prosecuting attorney of a county is the legal adviser of all tax-supported public libraries.

HB 567 STROKE CENTERS (Boyd) To provide for recognition of hospital primary stroke centers and establishment of protocols for emergency triage, treatment, and transport of stroke patients.

Voter Registration Increases

During the first six months of 2010, more than 100,000 Ohioans registered to vote while they were seeking assistance from the Department of Job and Family Services.

In 2006 a federal lawsuit required public assistance offices to provide voter registration help. Monthly registration has averaged 17,000 since January compared to 1,775 prior to the lawsuit, according to the department. Applications for January through June totaled 101,604.

Although the department has been offering voter registration since the law took effect 17 years ago, they were sued because people seeking had not been "offered" the opportunity to register.

However:

County election boards will soon be telling about 217,000 people that their voter registration data doesn't match information provided to the State Bureau of Motor Vehicles, according to the Secretary of State.

The SOS did a one-time check of Ohio's voter registration database against BMV records. It was part of a two-phase rollout of the new statewide system to verify the 8 million-plus registered voters in the state.

The SOS will pay the postage from federal funds, and local boards have been told in how to handle the voters' responses.

Source: Gongwer

This and That

Coffee Lovers Won't Love This

The J. M. Smucker Company is going to increase its list price for the majority of its Folgers, Dunkin' Donuts, Millstone, and Folgers Gourmet Selections coffee products sold in its U.S. by an average of 9%. Smucker said the reason for the price boost is due to sustained increases in green coffee costs.

Bob Netzley (R-Laura)

Condolences to the constituents of former Rep Netzley's district who passed away in July. From what I have read about him, it sounds like he was an interesting legislator.

According to Gongwer: Rep. Bob Netzley (R-Laura), was a staunch conservative who saw danger in government spending growth decades before the Tea Party era, and who once tried to kill the state income tax.

During a 40-year career in the Ohio House, the colorful Mr. Netzley also proposed requiring Statehouse reporters to pass math tests, tried to mow the Capitol lawn during a budget deadlock, and illustrated potential fraud of an instant voter registration law by registering two voters under the names "Harry I. Balls" and "Ruben A. Fraud."

The long-time chairman of the Miami County Republican Party arrived at the House in January 1961. He left in December 2000, ineligible to seek another term due to adoption of term limits.

Mr. Netzley championed the free enterprise system as the best solution for societal problems, and worked to fix what he believed was a broken welfare system. At one point he went so far as to propose state payments to welfare mothers who would agree to undergo sterilization.

In 1971, Mr. Netzley and other GOP conservatives tried to win repeal of the state's first personal income tax that a Republican-controlled legislature approved at the request of Democratic Gov. John J. Gilligan.

Opponents placed a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 7, 1972 ballot that would have repealed the tax and required voter approval of any new state income tax. Voters rejected the proposal by a 2-1 margin.

Articles of Interest

Click on the links below to view the articles:

Obama is coming to Ohio to Support Strickland

Hmmmmmm....I probably should not make any comments about Obama coming anywhere to support any candidate. Does this rank high on your Bucket List?

License Plate Tax in Your County?

You might find this an interesting link. It's a County Data Exchange report published by the County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO). Scroll past all the reports to the attachment at the very end. On the report, you will see what entities in your county have added the additional fees onto the cost of your license plates.

More Cuyahoga Government

New Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Chairman chimes in

Just Because I send out this Publication

This is one of those links that has nothing to do with politics. However, because I create this newsletter, I can determine what goes into it...and I did. Don't miss the five pictures you can view by clicking on the picture of his feet.

Non-Human Critters in the Legislature

Anti-Frog?

Well, although they are not really anti-frog, Members of Progress Ohio would rather the legislators spent time on issues other than things that relate to critters.

For your laugh of the day, watch the video:

Baby Come Back

Asian Carp infiltrate Great Lakes

Attorney General Richard Cordray along with attorneys general from Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit that seeks the construction of a permanent physical barrier between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River basins to block the invasive species from the Great Lakes.

A live carp was recently found within six miles of Lake Michigan. AG Cordray sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking for a national emergency summit on the matter. In the meantime, Mr. Cordray said the situation is so grave, they felt they had to take emergency precautions.

The Chicago Area Waterway System is creating a public nuisance that threatens all of the Great Lakes, the natural resources within them and the public's rights to use and enjoy its waters, according to the AG's office.

The lawsuit names the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago, which operate and control the system's facilities. The waterway system connects Illinois waters to Lake Michigan and, by extension, the rest of the Great Lakes, the AG said.

Important differences!

This pointless poll was actually in the Columbus Dispatch about the differences between John and Ted. It sort of takes away the politics and gives them "rock star" status:

1.What book are you reading right now?
TS: The American

JK: The Search for the Lost City of Z

2. Are you a smoker? Ever been a smoker?

TS: No

JK: No. I started in college, but I quit once I began
exercising regularly.

3. What is your favorite fast-food restaurant (If you eat fast food)?

TS: Big Boy

JK: At the counter at Bob Evans

4. What was your first car?

TS: Ford Falcon

JK: Some model of Dodge that I can't recall. My cousin gave it to me free because it was a real beater.

5. Did you have a favorite childhood pet? What was its name?

TS: Horse named Sal

JK: We didn't really have pets, but my sister did have a rabbit once that she called Peter.

6. Who was the best baseball player ever? Football? Basketball?

TS: Cal Ripken Jr., Dan Marino, Michael Jordan

JK: Roberto Clemente, hands down; Jim Brown; Michael Jordan

7. Do you personally use Facebook, MySpace or Twitter?

TS: Occasionally Facebook and Twitter

JK: Yes

8. Where do you get most of your news?

TS: MSNBC

JK: Newspapers

9. What is your favorite movie, and who are your favorite actor and actress?

TS: Sophie's Choice, Paul Newman, Meryl Streep

JK: Seabiscuit - I love it and have seen it half a dozen times. Actor:
Harrison Ford. Actress: Reese Witherspoon.

10. Have you ever smoked marijuana?

TS: Yes

JK: Regrettably, yes

11. Have you used anything to color your hair?

TS: Yes

JK: No

12. Would you rather have lunch with William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Tom Clancy or Stephen King?

TS: Lunch with Twain, drinks with Hemingway

JK: Shakespeare

13. What is the highest level of math you completed?

TS: Statistics

JK: College math

14. Do you have a favorite NASCAR driver?

TS: Tony Stewart

JK: Dale Jr. In IndyCars. I was a big Bobby Rahal fan.

15. How many Columbus Blue Jackets games have you seen in person?

TS: None

JK: Probably five or six

16. What does your wife get on your case about?

TS: TV up too loud

JK: Interrupting

17.Who was the best U.S. president?

TS: FDR

JK: George Washington

18. What is your preferred alcoholic beverage?

TS: Jack Daniel's

JK: Red wine

19. Where did you take your wife for your last anniversary?

TS: Tumbleweed

JK: Chicago to see U2

20. When they make a movie about you, which actor should play you and what would be the title?

TS: Robert Redford, Perseverance

JK: Harrison Ford, They Said It Couldn't Be Done

21.Have you ever gambled? What's your favorite casino game?

TS: Yes, don't have a favorite

JK: Yes, but I rarely do it and don't really have one.

22. Do you have a tattoo or piercing? Please specify.

TS: No

JK: No

23. What vegetable will you not eat?

TS: Okra

JK: My wife makes me eat all of them.

24. On the rare occasion that you're alone and unscheduled on a Saturday morning, how do you spend your time?

TS: Reading the newspaper and relaxing, maybe going to a movie

JK: Exercising and praying

25.Do you text?

TS: A few times in my life

JK: Yes, but I'd rather actually talk to people.

NEWS FROM THE
OHIO FEDERATION OF
REPUBLICAN WOMEN

Fall Conference

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN 2010

Join us for our Fall Conference on September 17 and 18. Click on the above link for further information.

September 17
Board of Directors' Meeting

September 18
"Making a Difference in 2010"

Book your room at the Embassy Suites

New On-Line OFRW Clubs

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If you are NOT currently a member of any Federated Club, you are eligible to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to become a CHARTER REGULAR MEMBER
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Issue No. 5

June 2010

SUMMER IS HERE AND POLITICS ARE IN FULL BLOOM -

THORNS AND ALL!

Happy Summer! And, it's about time with all the rain we had this spring.

Once again I am including the bills introduced by the House and the Senate. When I put these in this letter, I individually activate a link to each one so that you can read it for yourself. I do this so that you will call or write your senator or state representative and let him know how you feel about the bills being introduced. It helps them to know how the public feels about certain issues, but it also helps you to stay informed about issues that you care about.

The OFRW Spring Conference was a huge success and the speakers were interesting and unique. The fall conference is set for September 17 and 18 - mark your calendars now and please plan to join us.

Sharon C. Gingerich

THE FOLLOWING HOUSE BILLS WERE INTRODUCED:

HB 501 LEAD ABATEMENT (Harris, M.) Regarding lead abatement and lead-safe renovation.Full Text

HB 502 SCHOOL ANNEXATION (Grossman) To prohibit an urban school district that is a party to an annexation agreement from declining to extend the agreement. Full Text

HB 503 ANIMAL OWNER LIABILITY (Bubp, Garrison) Regarding the liability of owners of certain animals that are running at large. Full Text

HB 504 CANDIDATE FINANCES (Foley, Hagan) To require a candidate for a statewide, nonjudicial office to file a sworn statement identifying the candidate's net worth, assets and liabilities, real property, and intangible personal property, and to require that statement to be accompanied by either a copy of the candidate's last four federal income tax returns or a sworn statement identifying the source and amount of the candidate's income for the past four years. Full Text

HB 505 COUNTY HEALTH PLANS (Heard) To authorize a board of county commissioners to provide for a health and wellness benefit program for its officers and employees, which may be offered through a cafeteria plan meeting the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. Full Text

HB 506 CAMPAIGN SPENDING (Goyal, Murray) To regulate independent expenditures by corporations, labor organizations, and entities the primary purpose of which are to accept corporate or labor organization funds for use in making independent expenditures and to prohibit contributions made for the purpose of influencing a ballot issue from being made to or accepted by an entity that is not subject to campaign finance reporting requirements.
Elections & Ethics. Full Text

HB 507 STATE INVESTMENTS (Slesnick) To alter the authority of the Treasurer of State to invest in single-issuer debt. Full Text

HB 508 PREVAILING WAGE (Garrison) To require the Director of Commerce to investigate a contractor or subcontractor and determine whether an alleged violation of the Prevailing Wage Law has occurred when a settlement agreement has been entered into regarding the alleged violation. Full Text

HB 509 HOMELESS INTIMIDATION (Murray, Foley) To create the offense of intimidation of a homeless person.
Full Text

HB 510 DAM CONSTRUCTION (Carney) To establish a dam construction permit pilot program that, with respect to an eligible dam project, establishes permit fee and bonding requirements that are different from the permit fee and bonding requirements otherwise required under applicable law.
Full Text

HB 511 ABORTION COVERAGE (Bubp, Uecker) To prohibit qualified health plans from providing coverage for certain abortions. Full Text

HB 512 JUVENILE COMPACT (Belcher) To ratify, enact into law, and enter into as a party the Interstate Compact for Juveniles; to provide for certain entities and officials and assign certain responsibilities that relate to that Compact; and to repeal the current Interstate Compact on Juveniles. Full Text

HB 513 MEDICAID DISEASE MANAGEMENT (Sears) To require the Department of Job and Family Services to implement a disease management component of the Medicaid program. Full Text

HB 514 MEDICAID CASE MANAGEMENT (Sears) To require the Department of Job and Family Services to implement a case management component of the Medicaid program. Full Text

HB 515 APPRAISAL MANAGEMENT COMPANIES (Slesnick) To regulate appraisal management companies. Full Text

HB 516 SCHOOL REVENUES (Pillich) To modify the school district reimbursement schedule for the loss of revenue from the tangible personal property tax phase-out. Full Text

HB 517 EFFIGY MOUND (Book) To designate the Great Serpent Mound as the official effigy mound of the state.
Full Text

HB 518 ROAD NAMING (Book) To designate the portion of United States Route 23 within Scioto County only as the "Branch Wesley Rickey Memorial Highway." Full Text

HB 522 INSPECTOR GENERAL RECUSALS (Murray) To require the Inspector General to be recused from any matter or investigation relating to a state agency if the Inspector General has a familial relationship with an employee of that agency or the Inspector General was formerly employed by that agency, and to require the Inspector General to designate a deputy inspector general to handle all matters relating to an agency that is the subject of a recusal.
Full Text

HB 523 EMPLOYEE DEFINITION (Phillips, Driehaus) To create a generally uniform definition of employee for specified labor laws and to create a uniform standard to determine whether an individual performing services for an employer is an employee of that employer. Full Text

HB 524 MINI TRUCKS (Phillips) To establish conditions for the operation of mini-trucks on certain roads. Full Text

HB 525 STATE HEALTH PLANS (Hollington) To require the Department of Administrative Services to make a high deductible health care plan available to state employees and state elected officials. Full Text

HB 526 MANDATORY RESTITUTION (Pryor, Stewart, D.) To make restitution mandatory in cases of felonies and misdemeanor offenses of violence, to modify the determination and enforcement of restitution, and to enhance the participation of crime victims and crime victim advocates in the sentencing or disposition and judicial or early release of offenders and delinquent children. Full Text

HB 527 AUTO REPAIRS (Pryor) To prohibit auto insurers from requiring, recommending, or suggesting that a claimant on a policy have the claimant's vehicle repaired at a particular repair shop or by a particular person unless the claimant requests a recommendation or suggestion. Full Text

HB 528 VEHICLE LATE FEES (Pryor, Phillips) To exempt farm trucks and farm buses from the vehicle registration late fee, to establish a mandatory waiver of the registration late fee for vehicles used on a seasonal basis, and to allow the Director of Public Safety to approve a course in remedial driving instruction that is conducted entirely by video teleconferencing or the internet under specified circumstances. Full Text

HB 529 CUSTOMER CHARGES (DeGeeter) To require a supplier in certain consumer transactions to obtain express written authorization from a consumer before charging the consumer's account. Full Text

HB 530 AT-RISK STUDENTS (Driehaus, Mecklenborg) To permit the establishment of public college-preparatory boarding schools for at-risk students to be operated by private nonprofit entities. Full Text

HB 531 GAME HUNTING (Williams, B.) To eliminate the prohibition against hunting or shooting game within one-half mile of a township park. Full Text

HB 532 ESTATE TAX EXEMPTION (Murray) To exclude from the estate tax land subject to an agricultural or conservation easement. Full Text

HB 533 HIGHWAY DESIGNATION (Newcomb) To designate the portion of United States Route 322 within the municipal corporation of Orwell located in Ashtabula County, as the "Sgt. Kurt D. Schamberg Orwell Veterans Highway." Full Text

HB 534 GRAPE INDUSTRIES COMMITTEE  (Newcomb)   To revise the duties of the Ohio Grape Industries Committee.
Full Text

HB 535 LICENSE PLATE (DeBose) To create "Military Sacrifice" license plates. Full Text

HB 536 HIGHWAY NAMING (DeBose) To designate the portion of Interstate 480 located within Garfield Heights in Cuyahoga County the "Corporal Brad Anthony Davis Memorial Highway." Full Text

HB 537 FIRST AID TRAINING (Grossman) To require each person under eighteen years of age applying for a driver's license to complete a first-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation training course. Full Text

HB 539 SPECIAL ELECTION POLLS (Daniels) To permit a board of elections that conducts a special election on July 13, 2010, for the purpose of nominating candidates for congressional office to conduct that election with a limited number of polling places and to declare an emergency. Full Text

HB 540 COURT COSTS (Slesnick) To increase from ten dollars to twenty dollars the fee for the computerization of the office of the clerks of the municipal, the county, and common pleas courts, to require that all moneys collected by the clerk of a court be paid to the appropriate person, fund, or entity on or before the twentieth day of each month, to permit the municipal court, county court, and court of common pleas to collect unpaid court costs, fees, or fines from an obligor's state income tax refund, to require the Auditor of State to create and maintain a chart detailing the distribution of court costs, fees, and fines collected by court clerks, and to create the Committee on Court Costs. Full Text

HB 541 MUNICIPAL AGREEMENTS (Foley) To generally authorize municipal corporations and other political subdivisions to enter into agreements to perform services for one another. Full Text

BILLS INTRODUCED IN THE SENATE
SR 223 DETROIT CROSSING  (Buehrer)   To support the construction of the new Detroit River International Crossing between the United States and Canada. Full Text

SB 254 WATER ACCESS  (Carey)   To create the Water Access To Every Residence Task Force.
Full Text

SB 257 TAX REFUNDS (Schuring) To allow taxpayers to contribute a portion of their income tax refunds to the Ohio Breast and Cervical Cancer Project. Full Text

SB 258 INCOME TAX RATE (Grendell) To reduce the maximum effective income tax rate applicable to unearned income of persons age 70 1/2 years or older to 1%. Full Text

SB 259 STUDENT LOANS (Cates) To revise the laws regarding designation of the student loan secondary market agency and allocation of private activity bonds. Full Text

SB 260 INMATE WORK PROGRAM (Goodman) To require the Director of Rehabilitation and Correction to adopt rules governing the work of prisoners at the Governor's residence. Full Text

SB 261 BOARDING SCHOOLS (Cates) To permit the establishment of public college-preparatory boarding schools for at-risk students to be operated by private nonprofit entities. Full Text

SB 262 ABORTION COVERAGE (Cates, Gibbs) To prohibit qualified health plans from providing coverage for certain abortions. Full Text

SB 266 INVESTMENT TAXES (Schuring) To reduce the income tax rate on capital gains reinvested in Ohio-based investments. Full Text

SB 267 JUDICIAL RELEASE (Schiavoni) To authorize judicial release of misdemeanants who are serving jail sentences. Full Text

SB 268 AGENCY CONSOLIDATION (Gillmor) To implement the recommendations of the Sunset Review Committee by abolishing, terminating, transferring, or renewing various agencies and by reestablishing the Sunset Review Committee but postponing its operation until the 132nd General Assembly. Full Text

SB 269 AGENCY OPERATIONS (Grendell, Seitz) Relative to joint purchasing by members of a regional council of governments; consolidation of boards and commissions for purposes of Central Service Agency support services; privatization of governmental functions; and restructuring of state government.
Full Text

SB 271 TELECOM DEVICES (Cates) To prohibit a minor, by use of a telecommunications device or other means, from knowingly creating, receiving, exchanging, sending, or possessing a photograph or other material showing a minor in a state of nudity. Full Text

SB 272 TRIO FUNDING (Miller, R.) To make an appropriation for the provision of state matching funds for federal TRIO programs at Ohio institutions of higher education for the FY 2010-FY 2011 biennium.
Full Text

SB 273 MUNICIPAL AGREEMENTS (Turner) To generally authorize municipal corporations and other political subdivisions to enter into agreements to perform services for one another. Full Text

American voters want Arizona-type immigration law in their states

Read the article linked above by William Hershey | Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 09:37 AM

Nearly 50% of American registered voters want immigration laws in their states similar to the one in Arizona according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday, June 1. In the poll, 48 percent of voters said they want their states to pass such a law while 35 percent were opposed. Also, by an overwhelming 76-12 percent margin, voters said that plans by those who oppose the law to boycott Arizona was a bad idea.

The desire for the law comes despite a 45-40 percent belief by voters that it would lead to discrimination against Hispanics.

Other findings about the Arizona law:

Voters approved it, 51-31%.
By a 45-36% spread voters said it would reduce illegal immigration.
Voters said 66-26% that immigration reform should move in the direction of stricter enforcement rather than integrating immigrants into American society.

In Ohio, state Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, and Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones have said they are launching an effort to put a proposal on the 2011 ballot to give voters a chance to approve an Arizona-type law.

Follow the headline link to read the rest of the article. If you click on the link to the poll you will find further information stating that the law seems to be a major dividing point in the Country. More than two-thirds of Republicans; more than half of independents and less than a third of Democrats are in favor of the stricter laws.

Men agree 55 - 35%, while women agree 42 - 36%. The biggest gaps come along generational lines: Voters 18 to 34 years old oppose such a law in their state 43 - 36%, but voters 35 to 54 years old support such a law 52 - 33% and voters over 55 support such laws 55 - 32%.

White voters back the idea 53 - 32 %

Black voters oppose it 43 - 26 %

Hispanic voters oppose it 52 - 37%

TAKE ACTION - INFORMATION FROM THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE
The Ohio Department of Insurance has published guidelines entitled, "Take Action" Protect Yourself from Fraud." Some of the items addressed are insurance fraud; financial exploitation; types of deceptive sales practices; schemes occurring in annuities; living trusts; reverse mortgages; Medicare sales; and health care fraud. It also helps people to safeguard online information and ward off unwanted telemarketers and spammers. A free consumer guide is available at www.takeaction.ohio.gov.

MORE NEWS FOR SMOKERS
The American Lung Association says our cigarette tax is too low. "Ohio definitely has room to grow. We are just below the halfway point for states in our cigarette tax," said Shelly Kiser, American Lung Association. The cigarette tax is $1.27 a pack, nine cents less than the national average. The state hasn't raised tobacco taxes since 2005. She believes it's time for the state to go back and raise them again to the tune of 75 cents per pack.

Matt Mayer of the Buckeye Institute doesn't share their opinion. "I don't care if it's a smoking tax, an income tax, a property tax. The last thing we need to do in Ohio right now is raise taxes,"

"Are we going to have an obesity tax on overweight people? Which is about half the number of Americans, and Ohio's probably a little higher than that," said Mayer.

THE YEAR OF THE CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE
Just in case you thought political TV ads have been bad in the past, there are approximately 2,300 people running for Congress for 471 House and Senate seats. It's the highest number of candidates in at least 35 years, according to the Federal Election Commission.

People are frustrated with Obama, with almost twice as many GOP candidates as Democrats, and several hundred independent and third-party challengers. People are tired of government interferring in their lives. In addition, the way the federal government operates and spends our money money is a big factor in the discontent and the belief that congress is acting unconstitutionally.

The field is significantly larger than in 1976, two years after the Watergate scandal, and 1994, the year the GOP took control of Congress for the first time in four decades. The next-largest field - of 2,159 candidates - was in 1992, when Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot battled for the White House.

MOTH MATCH.COM
As a fitting end to this month's newsletter, there is sad news (well...sad for the male) about the love life of the gypsy moth. In an effort to menace mating mannerisms of moths, the Department of Agriculture will be spraying white stuff on trees that creates a female moth mantra. The clueless male moth won't be able to find a moth mother for his little moth minors. He will frantically fly up and down tree trunks seeking a willing "white spot" that he thinks is the female moth. Click on the title link for more comprehensive information on this issue.

Stay informed and up-to-date on the issues. We have many resources and opportunities. Join the mailing list and receive pertinent updates.

Copyright© OHFRW | All Rights Reserved | Paid for by Ohio Federation of Republican Women,
Treasurer Karen McTague, 211 South Fifth Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Not authorized or endorsed by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Newsletter design/contents by Sharon C. Gingerich

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Issue 4 ─May 2010
Political Education Newsletter

TEDDY GATE? (AKA RED'S HOUSE)

Last week an incriminating report was released by Inspector General Thomas Charles about an aborted drug smuggling arrest linked to the Governor's Residence, accusing a member of Governor Ted Strickland's Cabinet, and the chief of his State Highway Patrol security unit, of lying under oath.
The drop was to have taken place outside the mansion, on Jan. 10, 2010 while the Stricklands were hosting a dinner party with U.S. Sen. John Glenn and his wife Annie.
The gist of the IG investigation was that there was reasonable cause to believe "wrongful acts and omissions occurred by Director Cathy Collins-Taylor, Department of Public Safety, to stop the State Highway Patrol from intercepting contraband set for delivery to a prison inmate working at the mansion." Isn't that worded nicely?
The report also said that the inmate work program at the Governor's Residence was poorly managed and posed a security risk to the First Family, the residence staff, the Bexley neighborhood, and troopers stationed at the residence.
In addition, the report accused department officials of violating their legal duty to cooperate in the investigation and said that there have been problems every since Gov. Strickland took office in 2007, saying that the program had "veered off course."
"(Prisoners) were permitted to walk outside the fence unescorted, where they received curb-side deliveries of contraband in broad daylight," the report said.
"We also discovered that inmates were permitted to have free access to knives, axes, chainsaws and a wide variety of other hand tools with no accountability whatsoever," it said.
"Some of those items - including a razor blade and a utility knife - have been intercepted by corrections officers after residence honor inmates attempted to smuggle them into the prison," the IG said.
Prior to the report coming out, "the Strickland administration" criticized the Senate GOP for conducting hearings on the matter and suggested they were just engaging in the "politics of personal destruction" with Ms. Collins-Taylor's confirmation process.
"Despite the administration's charge that the Senate has been political in asking legitimate questions surrounding this case, it appears that where we saw smoke, there was indeed a fire," Sen. Harris said.
It's interesting to note that at one point in the investigation, Gov. Strickland refused to talk about the hearings that Sen. Timothy Grendell was holding regarding allegations of political interference with administration and operation of the State Highway Patrol.
"Listen, I've got more important things to think about than Senator Grendell's Senate hearings, OK?," the governor said. "Senator Grendell can do what he wants to do with his hearings and I'll go ahead and continue to do what I think I'm supposed to be doing as governor of the state of Ohio," he said. (source Gongwer reports).
I would just say to you, how do you think this would have been reported had the governor been a republican? Would the words have been kind or gentle? Would the above statement about Senator Grendell's investigation gone unreported and unchallenged?

MORE LAW ENFORCEMENT FUN FROM COLUMBUS

When I read about this in Gongwer, I just couldn't resist sharing it with you.
Apparently there is a discussion going on about sheriffs being able to do the same things that the State Highway Patrol does and do it for less money. They were speaking before a panel of lawyers, representatives of various law enforcement agencies, local government groups and other stakeholders.
Guernsey County Sheriff Michael McCauley, treasurer of the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association, said budget cuts were forcing county law enforcement agencies all over Ohio to layoff employees. His office cut seven employees last year.
"I get irritated when I hear the state is trying to find more money for the patrol. Well, what are we?" he told the panel.
The patrol has not laid off any employees during the current economic recession. "Well, that's astounding to me when you consider all the cutbacks there have been on the local level," McCauley said.
State troopers' starting salary is about $44,500 a year, while an entry-level deputy in Harrison County makes less than $23,000, he said. Options for additional funding for county sheriffs include a surcharge on telephone and cell phone calls and new fees for auto and homeowners' insurance.
Sen. Steve Buehrer asked McCauley whether county sheriffs could provide better services at a lower cost by diverting the funding that goes to troopers in the area.
Sheriff McCauley recalled a recent drug bust that involved "38 wildlife officers, eight troopers, six Bureau of Crime Identification & Investigation officers and a helicopter to arrest one man in a marijuana patch."
"When I got there I said, 'Who's paying this bill? Is this man a terrorist?'" he said, noting the suspect had no weapons or a criminal record. "Can I do it cheaper? You betcha."

Article Headline

INTRODUCED

The following bills were introduced in the month of April. The sentence behind each is a brief summary. To learn more, click on the bill number.

SB 244 HEALTH INSURANCE (Grendell, Jones) To prohibit requiring an individual to obtain or maintain a policy of health insurance.

SB 245: WATER SYSTEM REPORTS  (Stewart, J.)   To require a community water system's annual report to its customers to include information concerning the amount of water lost by the system during the transmission of water between the source waters utilized by the system to the consumers serviced by the system.

SB247 GUN LAWS  (Wilson)  To conform the restoration of civil firearm rights with federal law and U.S. Supreme Court case law and to allow restoration of civil firearm rights for firearms that are dangerous ordnance.

SB 248 PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION  (Gibbs)  To lengthen the period for which certain structures in a Community Reinvestment Area may be exempted from property taxation.

SB 249 UNIVERSITY PROPERTY  (Seitz, Grendell)  To permit the board of trustees of a state institution of higher education to enter into an agreement to convey property used for student housing or parking to a conduit entity which will enter into a lease-leaseback arrangement with an independent funding source.

SB 250 AGRICULTURAL LOANS  (Gillmor, Wilson)  To modify the Agricultural Linked Deposit Program with respect to the maximum amount the Treasurer of State may invest in agricultural linked deposits, the interest rate at which loans are made under the Program, and the maximum loan amount.

SB 251 TRUST CODE  (Seitz)  To adopt the Uniform Power of Attorney Act; to modify a trustee's duties with respect to life insurance policies, specify a trustee's power to distribute trust principal in further trust, provide for the titling of assets in trust form, and make other changes in the Trust Code; to modify the anti-lapse provisions regarding wills and adopt anti-lapse provisions applicable to trusts; and to provide a mechanism for a probate court to order a person who suffers from alcohol and other drug abuse to undergo treatment

SB 252 ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS  (Cafaro)  To establish local entertainment districts in municipal corporations or unincorporated areas of counties of specified populations for the purpose of the issuance of D-1, D-2, and D-5 liquor permits under specified conditions.

HB 470    SMOKER DISCRIMINATION (Dyer) To prohibit employment discrimination against smokers.

HB 471    DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS (Chandler) To permit townships, counties, and combinations of townships, counties, and municipal corporations to establish transfer of development rights programs.

HB 472    COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS (Lundy, Patten) To enact the "Textbook Affordability Act" with respect to college textbook sales.

HB 473    TELECOMMUNICATION NUDITY (Pillich) To prohibit a minor, by use of a telecommunications device, from knowingly receiving, exchanging, sending, posting, or possessing a photograph, video, or other material that shows a minor in a state of nudity and to define a state of nudity for purposes of this prohibition, to limit the offense of "illegal use of a minor in a nudity-oriented material or performance" to acts committed by persons 18 years of age or older, and to prohibit a minor from committing by means other than a telecommunications device delinquent acts that would be the offense of "illegal use of a minor in a nudity-oriented material or performance" if committed by an adult.

HB 474    ENERGY PROPERTY EXEMPTION (Hite) To exempt from property taxation renewable energy facilities that are not financed through the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority and to require a payment in lieu of taxes on the basis of each megawatt of production capacity of such facilities.

HB 475      ATHLETIC CONTESTS (Mallory) To exempt boxing, karate, or wrestling matches that benefit a charitable organization conducted under the supervision of the fraternal order of police of Ohio or the Ohio association of professional firefighters from regulation by the Ohio Athletics Commission.

HB 476      LIFE INSURANCE DATABASE (Yuko) To establish a statewide life insurance database.

HB 477      PAIN AWARENESS MONTH (Yuko) To designate September as "Pain Awareness Month."

HB 478      MEDICAL MARIJUANA (Yuko) Regarding the medical use of cannabis.

HB 479      JUVENILE OFFENDER SCHOOL (Weddington) To permit the establishment of a community school to serve adults of school age who are incarcerated or who have been released from the custody of the Department of Youth Services and to declare an emergency.

HB 480      HEALTH CARE ASSAULT (Slesnick, Oelslager) To increase the penalty for assault to a felony of the fourth degree when the victim is a hospital employee or health care worker who is engaged in the performance of the individual's duties at a hospital.

HB 481 WOMEN'S VETERANS MONTH  (Harwood, Bubp)  To designate March as Women's Veterans Month.

HB 482 COLUMBUS BONDS  (Garland)  To authorize a joint recreation district operating on the site of the United States Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee to issue revenue bonds, maintain lines of credit, and enter into lease purchase agreements for property; to expand the district's powers with respect to its own property; and to make certain appointments to the district's board permissive rather than mandatory.

HB 483 AG-LINK PROGRAM  (Pryor)  To modify the Agricultural Linked Deposit Program with respect to the maximum amount the Treasurer of State may invest in agricultural linked deposits and the interest rate at which loans are made under the Program.

HB 484 MEMORIAL HIGHWAY  (Pryor)  To designate a portion of State Route 104 within RossCounty as the "David A. Gibson Memorial Highway."

HB 485 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS  (Pryor)  To include the production from certain feedstocks of biodiesel, biomass energy, electric or heat energy, and biologically derived methane gas in the definition of "agriculture" for purposes of the laws governing county zoning, township zoning, and current agricultural use valuation.

HB 486 SMALL LOANS  (Lundy, Stebelton)  To establish certain consumer protections with respect to small loans to be known as the Small Loan Consumer Protection Act.

HB 487 PROPERTY TRANSFER TAXES (Foley) To authorize an increase in the real property transfer tax up to $4 per $1000 of value, and to require that any revenue from the tax in excess of $3 per $1000 of value be used by the county for providing housing.

HB 488 SEX DISCRIMINATION (Harris, M., Pillich) To expand the prohibition against discrimination because of or on the basis of sex, to prohibit discrimination because of or on the basis of lactation and to require employers to allow an employee to express breast milk while at work.

HB 489 HEALTH INSURANCE (Boose, Sears) To prohibit requiring an individual to obtain or maintain a policy of health insurance.

HB490 COMMERCIAL CODE (Dyer, Coley) To adopt the revisions to the general provisions and documents of title portions of the Uniform Commercial Code that were recommended by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and to make related changes in the Uniform Commercial Code and the Revised Code

HB 491 PROPERTY TAX COMPLAINTS (Coley) To permit property tax complaints to be initiated only by the property owner.

HB 492 PROPERTY TAX COLLECTIONS (Coley) To remove the minimum population criterion governing which counties may employ delinquent real property tax collectors, thereby allowing counties with populations below 200,000 to employ such collectors.

HB 493 HUMAN TRAFFICKING  (Chandler)  Relative to trafficking in persons.

HB 494 SCHOOL CURRICULUM  (Stebelton, Maag)  To allow more time for the adoption of standards and model curricula for science, social studies, and financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

HB 495 AGENCY CONSOLIDATION  (Book, Dodd)  To implement the recommendations of the Sunset Review Committee by abolishing, terminating, transferring, or renewing various agencies and by reestablishing the Sunset Review Committee but postponing its operation until the 132nd General Assembly, and to terminate the operation of certain provisions of this act on December 31, 2016

HB 496 STATE SOVEREIGNTY  (Jordan)  To assert the state's claim of sovereignty pursuant to the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, to require Ohio residents to remit federal taxes to the Treasurer of State, to require that those taxes be retained by the state for its own use to the extent the General Assembly finds that the federal government penalized the state for failing to comply with a federal mandate determined by the General Assembly to be unconstitutional or to the extent directed by a statewide ballot initiative, and to declare an emergency.

HB 497 HOSPITAL ASSESSMENTS  (Boose, Balderson)  To revise the law governing hospital assessments and to provide that the provisions of this act terminate on October 1, 2011, when sections

HB 498 INCOME TAX RATES  (Hollington)  To reduce the maximum effective income tax rate applicable to unearned income of persons age 70 1/2 years or older to 1%.

HB 499 MEDICAID PAYMENTS  (Yuko)  To revise the types of costs included in determining nursing facilities' Medicaid reimbursement rates.

HB 500 SUBSTANCE ABUSE CURRICULUM  (Yuko)  To require public schools to provide concentrated instruction in substance abuse prevention during May, to require the State Board of Education to adopt guidelines for the development of a substance abuse prevention curriculum, and to designate May as "Substance Abuse Awareness and Education Month."

MY FEET ARE KILLING ME!

From what I understand we may be going to the Statehouse for one of our spring or fall meetings. If we do, I just want to make sure you all bring your shoes. The folllowing is a news clip from Gongwer:

Mr. Fries, a former legislator, said he had received an avalanche of comments from persons who believe Statehouse visitors should not be required to wear shoes. "I never got so much mail ... since we tried to vaccinate cats," he said. Chairman Finan concurred in the degree of the shoe-less campaign. "We've been getting emails from all over the world. Ireland, Germany, England, Canada, all over the world, and they're very well written ... (saying) 'I should be able to go anyplace I want to without shoes,'" he said. No rule at present requires footwear. CSRAB adopted one last July, but it was not submitted to JCARR. Federal courts previously rejected a lawsuit from a Pickerington man who sued the Columbus Metropolitan Library for requiring patrons to wear shoes.

NEW KIOSKS

Tom Jackson of the Capitol Square Foundation briefed board members about plans to install kiosks in the ceremonial offices of the Auditor and Treasurer that would explain the functions of each official. A third kiosk is slated to explain the role of lobbyists. "That would go in the Museum in the legislative section," Mr. Jackson said.

Emergency Contraception
Dozens of abortion rights supporters gathered on the Statehouse steps last month to urge lawmakers to pass legislation designed to ensure access to emergency contraception for rape victims.
Rep. Dan Stewart (D-Columbus), sponsored a proposal to require hospitals to provide sexual assault victims emergency contraception, preventive treatment for disease and counseling, told participants that only about 60% of health care providers currently offer all options.
Surrounded by supporters holding signs with slogans such as "Women lose when pharmacists refuse," Rep. Stewart said the event was to highlight "the importance of giving women access to all options in a rape emergency."
"This is not abortion. It is protection," he said during the speech.
He also urged support for separate legislation that would require insurers include contraceptive drugs in prescriptive medication coverage.

SCAMS

Department Of Commerce Warns Against Investment Scams, Issues 'Top Five' List

For the third consecutive year, Ponzi schemes lead the list of scams of which the Dept. of Commerce warns investors about. Ohioans are also cautioned about real estate cons.
The department's Div. of Securities released its list of top investment scams for 2010.
"Con artists will lie, cheat and steal from anyone, especially those who trust them the most - their family, longtime friends and neighbors," Department Director Kimberly Zurz said. "Ohioans must be alert for signs of the five most common types of scams perpetrated by con artists before investing their hard-earned money."

Deed Copies

A letter from the National Deed Service is again circulating around the State of Ohio telling the recipients that they can obtain a copy of their deed from them for $59.00 to $69.00. National Deed Service tells home owner that they should have a copy of their deed and to save them the time and hassle of dealing with the county, they will do it for you for a "mear $70." Don't fall for it. In many counties a phone call to your County Recorder and $4.00 will get you a certified copy in the mail.

This is a scam that rears its ugly head about every two years. So, if you have heard of it and think that it is old news, it's not. Beware and tell others.

Don't forget to visit the OFRW website for information on current happenings and issues in the Ohio Federation of Republican Women.

The National Federation of Republican Women
has increased their membership by 33% in 2010. Visit the NFRW website for national news, education opportunities, and much more.

In case you have not visited it, the Ohio Republican Party has another informative website for Ohio voters along with opportunities for you to become involved in the campaigns for our candidates. This is an extremely important electoral year. Get involved.

You can also sign the healthcare petition on the GOP website. Join the Ohio Republican Party and members of our Congressional delegation in asking Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to stand up for us and join his fellow attorneys general as they prepare to sue the federal government over the constitutionality of the health care bill. Don't wait for the November elections, you can do something now about the health care bill.

VOTE ON TUESDAY - TAKE A FRIEND TO THE POLLS WITH YOU.

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POLITICAL EDUCATION - ISSUE 3 - MARCH, 2010

The Gipper
"Welfare is another of our major problems. We are a humane and generous people and we accept without reservation our obligation to help the aged, disabled, and those unfortunates who, through no fault of their own, must depend on their fellow man. But we are not going to perpetuate poverty by substituting a permanent dole for a paycheck. There is no humanity or charity in destroying self-reliance, dignity, and self-respect ... the very substance of moral fiber." --Ronald Reagan

WHAT WILL SPRING BRING?

HEALTH CARE - EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT IT!

Although the passage of nationalized health care is not altogether an Ohio State issue, the health care debacle is on everyone's mind. The following is the lead paragraph from a Patriot Post article the day after it passed:

March 22, 2010:

With Senate and House passage of Barack Hussein Obama's so-called "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," liberals have now sealed the deal to nationalize the American health care system -- almost 17 percent of the U.S. economy. Passage of this measure completes the "triple crown" of the Left's Socialist agenda: Social Security, Medicare and now health care. One may conclude that nationalized health care, like Social Security and Medicare before it, will soon be bankrupt. (See how your Senator and Representative voted.)
There is no provision in the United States Constitution giving the central government the authority to nationalize health care, but liberals have never let the Constitution stand in the way of their incremental efforts to socialize the U.S. economy.

Nancy Pelosi's interpretation of the Constitution: "In [passing this legislation], we will honor the vows of our Founders, who in the Declaration of Independence said that we are 'endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.' This legislation will lead to healthier lives, more liberty to pursue hopes and dreams and happiness for the American people."

More From the Patriot Post

"It's all supposed to be voluntary, those 'home visits' that are tucked into the mammoth Obamacare bill. If you have a strong stomach, and a stronger bottom, you can find home visitation on pages 568-595. That's Section 2951 of H.R. 3590, the Senate [health care] bill.... The bill provides for federal funding and supervision for this vast expansion of government intrusion into family life. This is the Nanny State on steroids. Is your family being 'targeted' for such home visitations? Let's see if you fit into one of these very broad categories:

Families where Mom is not yet 21. (No mention here whether she is married or not.) Families where someone is a tobacco user. (Does this include the White House? Watch out, Sasha and Malia! Does Grandpa, whom you love and have taken in, enjoy his after-dinner pipe?)

Families where children have low student achievement, developmental delays, or disabilities.

As if that list were not wide-ranging enough, here's the net that can encompass tens of millions:

Families with individuals who are serving or formerly served in the armed forces, including such families that have members of the armed forces who have had multiple deployments outside the United States.

Do you spank your children? You should know that HHS bureaucrats think you are an abuser.

Do you support the Second Amendment? How would you like HHS bureaucrats asking your children if you maintain firearms in the home for family protection?

Do you home-school your kids? Take care. Members of Congress who have tried to abolish home-schooling are big backers of this health care bill.

Do you wonder why? ... One thing is clear: For life and liberty, we must defeat ObamaCare." --columnist Ken Blackwell

INTRODUCED

HB 463
THREE-WHEEL VEHICLES (Moran) To allow a person who has a valid driver's license to operate an enclosed three-wheel motorcycle equipped with both a steering wheel and an electric motor without being required to have a motorcycle operator's endorsement and to allow operation of an enclosed three-wheel motorcycle without wearing a helmet or safety glasses.

HB 460
HOME HEALTH AGENCIES (Boyd, Harwood) To require licensure of home health agencies.
Health

HB 461
VETERAN AGENCIES (Pillich, Boose) To make changes to the law regarding the Ohio Veterans' Home Agency, the Department of Veterans Services, the Ohio National Guard Scholarship Program and other military-related laws and to make an appropriation.
Finance & Appropriations

HB 457
NURSING EXTERNSHIPS  (Goyal, Zehringer)   To increase the extension period that may be granted to an advanced practice nurse completing an externship in prescribing drugs.

HB 458
CAMPAIGN CIRCULATORS (Dyer) To restrict the use of circulators to candidates seeking statewide office.

HB 459
TOWNSHIP INTEREST (Dyer) To authorize a board of township trustees to require that interest earned on a special fund be credited to that special fund, rather than to the general fund.

HB 468
BBQ CHAMPIONSHIP (Gardner) To designate the Brickstreet BBQ Contest held in Marietta as the state barbeque championship

HB 456
ESTATE TAX (Okey) To repeal the estate tax effective January 1, 2011.

HB 469
HOME ENERGY AUDITS (Phillips) To allow a nonrefundable credit against the personal income tax for home energy audits.

HB 464
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY EXEMPTION (Winburn) To exempt qualifying wind and solar energy facilities from property taxation for up to 20 years and to require payments in lieu of taxes on the basis of each megawatt of production capacity of such facilities. Ways & M

SB 243
HUMAN CLONING (Buehrer) To prohibit human cloning, the creation, transportation, or receipt of a human-animal hybrid, the transfer of a nonhuman embryo into a human womb, and the transfer of a human embryo into a nonhuman womb.

SB 238
IMMIGRANT WORKERS COMPENSATION (Seitz) To prohibit illegal and unauthorized aliens from receiving compensation and benefits under Ohio's Workers' Compensation Law.

SB 239
CONCEALED WEAPONS (Jones, Schaffer) To permit a concealed carry licensee to possess a firearm in liquor permit premises, or an open air arena, for which a D permit has been issued if the licensee is not consuming liquor or under the influence of alcohol or a drug of abuse and to modify the offense of improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle as it applies to concealed carry licensees

SB 240
CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES (Husted) To permit domestic corporations and labor organizations to make independent expenditures and electioneering communications in support of or opposition to candidates for nomination or election and to require a domestic corporation or labor organization that makes such expenditures to file related campaign finance statements.

SB 241
OIL AND GAS LEASES (Faber) To grant the Department of Natural Resources exclusive authority to enter into leases for oil and gas development on state land.

SB 242
ABORTION HEARINGS (Grendell, Gillmor) To revise the procedures governing a hearing by which a court may permit a pregnant minor to consent to an abortion or by which a court may give judicial consent for a pregnant minor to have an abortion and to require a court to make its findings with respect to such a hearing by clear and convincing evidence.

SB 232
RENEWABLE ENERGY (Widener) To exempt from property taxation renewable energy facilities that are not financed through the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority and to require a payment in lieu of taxes on the basis of each megawatt of production capacity of such facilities.

SB 233
LIVESTOCK CARE (Gibbs) To establish requirements and responsibilities of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board and the Director of Agriculture in administering and enforcing the rules adopted by the Board that govern the care and well-being of livestock in this state and to make an appropriation.

SB 234
BBQ CONTEST (Stewart, J.) To designate the Brickstreet BBQ Contest held in Marietta as the state barbeque championship.

SB 237
SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION (Smith) To apply SORN Law victim notification and community notification to specified offenders or delinquent children who verify their registered residence address and for whom such notifications previously have not been provided and to revise the criteria for subjecting offenders and delinquent children to SORN Law community notification.

SB 236
ELECTRIC RATES (Grendell, Patton) To restore discounts for customers with all-electric homes, to restore electric, load-management programs, and to declare an emergency.

THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE I WAS A KID

Kick Butts: The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Washington, D.C., said Thursday that children in Ohio would join others nationwide March 24 for the 15th annual Kick Butts Day. At least 1,000 events are planned across the country.

It's being promoted as "an annual celebration of youth leadership and activism in the fight against tobacco use."

Ohio health advocates want state leaders to increase the cigarette tax by $1 per pack so children will stop smoking, and the tax will raise revenue fixing the state's budget shortfall, and funding healthcare and our failing education programs.

"On Kick Butts Day, kids are standing up to the tobacco companies, and Ohio leaders should stand with them by increasing the cigarette tax," said Matthew Myers, the campaign president.

"A higher cigarette tax is truly a win-win-win for Ohio: a health win that will prevent kids from smoking and save lives; a budget win that will help protect vital programs like health care and education; and a political win that is popular with the voters," Mr. Myers continued....Gongwer

Bits and Pieces

Historical Society: Curators started posting a series of blog posts this week entitled "The Top 10 Most Embarrassing Moments of Ohio History." (Scroll down on page)
"History is chock full of blunders and bad ideas," Historical Society history curator Elizabeth Higgins said. "Instead of sweeping them under the carpet, the Ohio Historical Society has chosen to memorialize these missteps in a top 10 list."
Topics will include a military blunder, a near national disaster and an infamous prison break.

While you are on that blog, you can find out how to cast your vote for who will represent Ohio in Statuary Hall. Who is the best choice to represent Ohio? You can find that blog item on the same page as the most embarrassing moments.

Natural Resources: Public fishing opportunities will be enhanced this spring when more than 80,700 rainbow trout, each measuring 10-13 inches long, are released into 45 Ohio lakes and ponds, according to the Division of Wildlife. The releases will take place between mid-March and mid-May; anglers are reminded that the daily catch limit for inland lakes is five trout.

Women Justices: The Supreme Court commented on women who have served as justices since Ohio Statehood in 1803:
Over the last 207 years, 151 people have served on the high court. Of that total, seven were women. Of the seven, three are on the court at present: Justices Stratton, Maureen O'Connor, and Judith Lanzinger.

The first woman justice was Florence Allen, who served from 1923 to 1934. She was the first woman elected to a U.S. court of last resort, the first woman elected to a judicial office in Ohio, the first woman assistant county prosecutor in the United States, and the first woman appointed to a federal appeals court judgeship.

Almost 50 years passed before another woman joined the court, when Justice Blanche Krupansky served from 1981 to 1983.

Six years later, Justice Alice Robie Resnick became the third woman to serve on the Supreme Court on Jan. 2, 1989.

Justice Deborah Cook was the fourth woman to serve on the court. She now is a judge of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.

No woman has served as Ohio Chief Justice.

That will change after the Nov. 2 election when Justice O'Connor is elected to that position.

Rehabilitation Services Commission: The commission kicked off its Café Conversations this month to encourage Ohioans with disabilities to gather and help shape the future of the agency.
More than 400 Ohioans with disabilities, their families, employers, community leaders and others have attended café-style meetings in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Cincinnati and Marietta.
The casual gatherings stimulate conversation, encourage collective thinking and generate ideas that will result in updated agency strategies and improved employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The events allow the agency to gather ideas and hear from community members as they share their experiences and situations.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Ohio's police union and concerned citizens urged a Senate panel Tuesday to pass bills that would allow local authorities to crack down on undocumented workers, but the chamber's leader said members were still in the process of gathering information.

Numerous witnesses testified before the Senate State & Local Government & Veterans Affairs Committee in support of two similar measures. One would allow local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration laws (SB 35) and the other would allow police to help investigate and enforce immigration laws upon federal request (SB 150).

Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland) said the hearings were meant to help members assess the immigration situation in Ohio, but he didn't expect the chamber to vote on the legislation in the immediate future.

There are an estimated 7-8 million undocumented workers holding jobs in America and another 15-16 million receiving unemployment benefits according to the Pew Research Center.

The Butler County Auditor's Office estimates each illegal alien costs $4,400 a year in uncollected taxes which translates to $1.8 billion loss of state revenue. Illegal immigration drives additional costs in medical services, workers' compensation, translation services and unemployment, and many other issues.

SPRING CONFERENCE REGISTRATION DEADLINE AROUND THE CORNER

BOARD MEETING AND TOUR
FRIDAY ─ April 23,2010

Fireside Room ─The Wright Patterson Club

Tour of
Fisher/Nightingale House
2008-2009
Caring for America
Project Recipient

***
Meet at Wright Patterson Club
at 3:15 p.m. for tour

Dinner (5:30 p.m.) followed by
Board Meeting (7 p.m.)
Both in Fireside Room
Cost: $18.00 per person
(Includes tax and tip)
For Dinner prior to Board Meeting

Pasta buffet featuring: linguini and bowtie pastas; Alfredo and marinara sauces; grilled vegetables, mushrooms, parmesan cheese, sausage and shrimp.
There will be salad, rolls/butter and dessert (brownies and cookies) served on the tables.
Cash bar.
***
Husbands are welcome to attend the buffet (prepaid with reservation) and may adjourn to the "Wings" Grill (in the same building) while the Board Meeting is being held.

April 24,2010
The Wright Patterson Club
Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

Registration: 8-9:15 a.m.
Breakfast: 8:30-9:15 a.m.
Conference: 9:15 a.m.─2:30 p.m.
Please allow additional travel time
to be cleared through base security at Gate 9-A.
Cost: $40.00 per person
Includes breakfast buffet, mid-morning perk up,
luncheon buffet, and afternoon pick-me-up!!!

9/11 Survivor and Keynote Speaker
Mr. George Sleigh
On September 11th, 2001, George Sleigh was on the 91st floor of the WorldTradeCenter's NorthTower. "I heard this unusual sound. A roaring sound. As I looked up I saw the plane. I thought this guy is low." recalls Sleigh. A wing flashed past his eyes, followed by the plane's smooth belly. Then the world caved in.

Please join us for the OFRW Spring Conference with a remarkable narrative, informative programs, stirring debates and a first hand look at
Ohio's Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

Faith & Family from the Patriot Post

"If anyone was looking for a self-righteous extreme feminist, they found one in Angie Jackson. This is a woman who was so proud she was aborting her baby that she announced she would 'tweet' her chemical-cocktail abortion live, as it happened, on Twitter. The liberal media found this made-for-TV slaughter fascinating, and not at all a controversy worthy of discussing with two sides. Newsweek's Sarah Kliff proclaimed: 'One hundred thousand people have watched Angie Jackson's abortion. Late last month, Jackson posted a video of herself to YouTube, recorded after she took RU-486, a medication used to end pregnancies.' Kliff asked only 'why shame remains' about the act of killing one's baby. Jackson was honored for her courage in 'demystifying' and 'destigmatizing' the procedure: 'We need 10,000 more of her,' proclaimed Peg Johnston, chair of something called the Abortion Care Network. This desire for 10,000 more unashamed abortions is what 'pro-choice' is all about." --columnist L. Brent Bozell

"Be Ye Kind to One Another"

Tis the season to vote in the primaries. Ladies, please be kind to one another. We all have our favorite Republican candidate for whatever the reason - and that reason may be the one with the best intentions. Or, we may BE the candidate and of course, we know that we are the best candidate.

However as true as this may be, I urge you to refrain from tearing apart your GOP counterpart. I would also urge you to ask your supporters to do the same. We don't do ourselves any favors and we sure don't further the cause of women candidates or our party. I truly believe this is one of the ways we as women hold each other back...this is why there are so few women running for public office.

Don't do it. Stick to the issues. We are involved in politics because we are passionate about what we believe and deeply care about out country. Resist the urge to personally attack and instead run on your own merits and ideas. You really will be glad you did.

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