|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Political Education
|
Summer
2010
|
|
|
|
|
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
Are you a Republican Woman?
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
of the FIRST State on-line club in the nation. Check it out.
|
|
|
|
|
Click here to return to top of
this page
|  |
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Click here to return to top of
this page |
|
 |
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."
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
| Click
here to return to top of this page |
|
 |
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
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
| Click here to return to top of
this page |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Reminders
|
|
RNC
WOMENS SUMMIT
I hope to see many of you at the RNC Women's Summit this coming
weekend. If you are driving down on Friday, we will be meeting in the
Hyatt's second floor lounge at 5:15 to make plans for dinner. You are
welcome to join us.
OFRW
Don't forget to register for our spring conference April 24 at
Wright Patterson AFB. Due to security measures at WP AFB, all
reservations must be received by the OFRW office no later than April
16. You will not
be able to attend this event without advance registration - no tickets
at the door.
Check out the February 2010 OFRW newsletter.
NFRW
Also, visit the National Federation's website to stay updated on
national issues. This is a valuable resource for you.
|
|
|
Ohio's
Healthiest and Unhealthiest
|
|
Gongwer:
In response
to a report ranking Ohio's healthiest and unhealthiest
counties, the Department of Health announced its plans to investigate
ways to improve the state's well being.
The
University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute collaborated
with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on a report that looks into the
health of every county nationwide. The report indicates Delaware County
residents are the healthiest in the state and Lawrence County is the
least health statewide.
The
2009 County Health Rankings
report
shows the healthiest of Ohio's 88 counties are clustered in the
northern, western and central regions; the least healthy counties are
scattered primarily in the southern and eastern regions of the state.
|
|
Congratulations
|
|
Ohio
Real World Design Challenge
The winning teams of the Ohio Real World Design Challenge are Kettering
Fairmont High School,
Metro Early College High School and Thomas Worthington High School.
First place went to the Kettering Fairmont High School team, which will
compete in the national Real World Design Challenge in March. Teams
from Metro Early College High School and Thomas Worthington High School
were also recognized as top scorers.
Each year, student teams are asked to address a real challenge that
confronts the nation's leading industries using industry tools and
devising workable solutions. This year's challenge focused on
aeronautics and energy usage, and was Ohio's first year of
participation.
The winning teams will be showcased at the Ohio STEM Conference, which
will be held at COSI in Columbus on March 2.
*************
Department
of Development:
Pearl Interactive Network LLC is the recipient of the 2010 Ohio Social
Entrepreneur Award. Pearl Interactive Network is a virtual home-based
business process outsourcing firm and a social enterprise.
The award is in recognition of the community and economic contribution
made by Ohio's small business owners who create jobs for socially and
economically disadvantaged Ohioans.
The winners were selected by criteria that included adopting a
mission that creates and sustains both private and social value, and
conceptualizing a solution that creates or promotes the earning
potential and/or alleviates the economic suffering of the socially and
economically disadvantaged population.
Eight companies and organizations were recognized, but Pearl
Interactive was selected as the statewide Social Entrepreneur of 2010.
The other companies and organizations that were recognized during the
2010 Ohio Social Entrepreneur Award ceremony were:
The Durable Slate Company (Columbus),
Freedom House (Ravenna), Hyde-N-Seek Designs (Pickerington),
New Directions Career Center (Columbus), Nightsweats & T-cells
Co. (Cleveland),
The Voice of Your Customer (Cincinnati) and
WASCO Inc. (Marietta).
|
|
Bugs
and Birds
|
|
The
chamber passed a bill to revise laws governing mosquito control
districts (HB 35). Sponsored by Rep. Steve Dyer (D-Green),
the sanitary district bill on controlling "biting arthropods" was
introduced in the wake of a failed attempt by a local mosquito
abatement district to expand and impose new taxes on residents of
southern Summit County.
And,
if you don't know, Ohio's bald eagle nesting season is underway with at
least two eagle pairs already incubating eggs, according to the
Division of Wildlife.
An
eagle pair in Huron County began sitting on eggs Feb. 1. Another pair
in Ashtabula County began incubation Feb. 5. Wildlife biologists
anticipate the Huron County eggs will hatch sometime on or around March
7.
During
the recently completed aerial mid-winter survey of bald eagles,
biologists observed 121 birds throughout the state. Ohio's bald eagle
population grew from only four nesting pairs along the southwestern
Lake Erie shore 31 years ago, to a record 215 eagle nests in 2009.
|
|
|
|
February
2010 Update on Political Happenings
|
|
Hello
Everyone:
Welcome to
the second update on political happenings.
Filing
deadlines are over and we know who our candidates are! Now we
face the primaries and there are a lot of them.
There will
be 17 contests in the 33-seat Senate. Of those, eight are
open - including five held currently by the GOP majority - due mostly
to term limits. The GOP controls the Senate with 22 seats currently.
In the
house, although all 99 seats are up for election this fall, a
relative few are expected to be truly competitive districts, as usual.
Republicans have said they would focus on districts they narrowly lost
two years ago by targeting incumbents according to Gongwer.
This has
been a month of political surprises and switches at the state
level, and for some of us, at local levels as well. Whatever politics
are, they are never dull!
Sharon
C. Gingerich
|
|
|
INTRODUCED
The
following is some of the legislation that has been introduced since the
last newsletter - just for your information:
As a
personal note, HB 428 made me chuckle...I don't know if you read all
the Internet warnings about this $20 fee and all the press coverage
about it, but it was interesting to follow. Apparently, the complaints
were overwhelming.
HB
428 MOTORIST LATE FEES
(Boose, Amstutz) 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.
Full Text
SB
228 WATER/SEWER
RATES
(Goodman, Hughes) To limit recovery of rate-case expenses for certain
water-works and sewage disposal system companies.
Full Text
SB
229 BRAIN
INJURIES
(Patton) To allow a notation on a driver's license that the licensee
has suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Full Text
SB
230 DARE
FUNDING
(Patton)
To revise the drug abuse resistance education (D.A.R.E.) grant program
funded by a portion of the license reinstatement fee charged to obtain
a driver's license following an OVI-related license suspension.
Full Text
SB
231 TAX
CHECK OFF
(Schaffer, Wilson) To allow taxpayers to make contributions to the
American Red Cross Ohio Disaster Response Readiness and Preparedness
Fund through their income tax returns.
Full Text
HB
452 TAX
RETURN DONATIONS (Bolon)
To allow taxpayers to make contributions to the American Red Cross Ohio
Disaster Response Readiness and Preparedness Fund through their income
tax returns.
Full
Text
HB
425 TOWING
(Heard)
To grant the Public Utilities Commission exclusive regulatory
jurisdiction over all common and contract carrier towing companies and
preempt local regulation, authorize the commission to establish a new
certification program for common and contract carrier towing companies
and a registration system for towed vehicle storage companies,
authorize certain commission regulation of vehicle storage companies,
revise law governing private tow-away zones, and make conforming
changes in motor transportation company public utility law.
Full Text
HB
426 OIL & GASLAWS
(Skindell, Stewart, D.)
To
revise the Oil and Gas Law.
Full Text
HB
427 CLASS ACTION SUITS
(Schneider,
Sykes) To declare how monetary awards in class actions that
are not paid over to members of the class are to be used.
Full Text
HB
429 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
(Harris,
M., Lehner) To increase the penalties for domestic violence,
to authorize a court to issue a protection order against a person
convicted of domestic violence and to prohibit violation of such a
protection order, to require a peace officer who has reasonable grounds
to believe that a violation of a protection order has been committed to
arrest any person who the peace officer has reasonable cause to believe
is guilty of the violation, to require an offender who commits domestic
violence to meet periodically with the sentencing judge and attend a
batterer intervention program, to authorize a board of county
commissioners to create a domestic violence fatality review board, and
to require the Attorney General to track the issuance and violation of
protection orders.
Full Text
HB
430 STATE EMPLOYEE SALARIES
(Morgan, Goodwin) To base the total amount that the
administrative departments spend on the salaries or wages of their
employees on changes in the Gross Domestic Product of Ohio.
Full Text
|
|
Freedom
of Speech
From Gongwer:
Speaker
Armond Budish decided to allow the National Right to Life Oratory
Contest winner to receive an honorary resolution on the House floor
after mounting criticism from anti-abortion activists and Republican
lawmakers.
Well....most
reports about this incident tended to omit the fact that it wasn't just
"anti-abortion activists and Republican lawmakers" who took Speaker
Budish to task over his decision. The ACLU actually agreed that Budish
was wrong in his decision.
The
House and Senate recognized Elizabeth Trisler of Russia, Ohio for
winning the national Right to Life oratory contest.
Ohio
Right to Life Executive Director Mike Gonidakis welcomed the speaker's
decision to allow the recognition.
"Speaker
Budish recently called me to convey his change of heart and I thanked
him on behalf of the pro-life community," he said in a statement.
"Blocking speech because you don't like what someone is saying or what
they stand for goes against the very fabric of who we are as Americans.
And, while the speaker got there the hard way, at least he got there."
Related
Issues
Separately, senators voted 21-9 to adopt a resolution that expresses
the state's opposition to a potential federal plan that could strike
down state-based abortion restrictions.
Sen.
Tim Grendell (R-Chesterland) said the proposal is important because it
deals with abortion, but also stressed that states need to stand up to
federal government efforts to control state policies.
Sen.
Shannon Jones (R-Springboro) amended the resolution to clarify
opposition to federally controlled abortion policies, in whatever form
they come. Further, the amendment expresses concern about the use of
taxpayer funds to support abortion.
The
amendment and the resolution were adopted without comment from
dissenters.
|
|
IN
COMMITTEE
HB
407 CALAMITY
DAYS (Zehringer,
Okey) To allow school districts and STEM schools to
make up excess calamity days by requiring students to complete lessons
posted online. (1st
Hearing-Sponsor) Full Text
HB
353 SCHOOL
BUS ADVERTISING (Huffman,
Letson) To authorize school districts to sell
commercial advertising space on school buses. (3rd
Hearing-All testimony) Full Text
HB
316 SEX
EDUCATION (Slesnick) To
establish statutory standards for comprehensive sexual health education
and HIV/AIDS prevention education in public schools and to designate
section 3313.6011 of the Revised Code as the "Act for Our Children's
Future." (2nd Hearing-Proponent) Full Text
|
|
Cigarette
Tax Increase
From Gongwer:
A report, titled Tobacco Taxes: A Win-Win-Win for Cash-Strapped States,
issued by a coalition of public health organizations claims that
raising the cigarette tax by $1 per pack would produce $299.7 million
in new money for Ohio.
The report released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American
Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association,
American Lung Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation claims
benefits of a $1 tax increase would:
·
Prevent 109,000 kids from becoming smokers;
·
Spur 52,600 current adult smokers to quit;
·
Save 48,800 residents from premature, smoking-caused
deaths;
and
·
Save $2.4 billion in health care costs.
Ohio's cigarette tax is $1.25 per pack, which is 25th in the nation.
The Ohio Wholesale Marketers Association says any tax increase on
cigarettes is always something it opposes. "What happens when we see
tax increases, we see some business suffer from that," OWMA spokeswoman
Beth Wymer said. "We also see sales in surrounding states increase."
She said because some cigarette consumers will go out of state or
online, which is done tax free, to buy the product, the increase is not
necessarily stopping smoking as much as it might seem.
"At the end of the day, it's costing the state revenue," Ms. Wymer
said. "Yeah (the state will) get a one time bump, but it's not
something that's sustainable."
She said lower income groups are those who will be hit hardest by a tax
increase because they tend to be the ones to smoke the most and the
least likely to quit.
|
|
|
Big
Brother is Still Watching
Taxation
Department: Citizens who suspect retailers of selling untaxed tobacco
products can help the state snuff out illegal activity by calling a new
toll-free hotline: (877) SMOKE-80.
The Department launched the new hotline in an effort to generate tips
on the sale of untaxed tobacco products, an illegal practice that hurts
law-abiding business owners, according to a release.
Packs of cigarettes and other tobacco products that are sold
legitimately bear a tax stamp from the state as proof. Retailers who
sell untaxed products face misdemeanor or felony charges, based on the
quantities they hold. They also owe taxes and penalties on the products
held without tax stamps, and these products are confiscated as evidence.
|
|
|
|
|
| Click
here to return to top of this page |
|
|
|
|
 |
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.
Web Design by Lyn
Bliss
|
|
|