April 27

Let cooler heads prevail on Ohio election reform law: editorial

Published: Thursday, April 26, 2012, 8:34 PM

By The Plain Dealer Editorial Board The Plain Dealer

If the Republicans who run the Ohio Senate are willing to go along, there's still a chance that the state can avoid a divisive referendum question this fall and -- far more important -- that voters will be a lot less confused about the rules for casting a ballot.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Ohio House was poised to pass legislation repealing almost everything in a package of election law reforms that passed in 2011 but had been put on ice pending a referendum this November. A coalition of voting-rights groups and their Democratic Party allies had gathered 307,000 valid signatures to put House Bill 194 before the voters.
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/04/let_cooler_heads_prevail_on_vo.html

Cincinnati chamber endorses income tax cut

04/26/12 at 12:54pm

Written by pkostyu

COLUMBUS — The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber today endorsed Gov. John R. Kasich’s proposed income tax cut saying it will “provide opportunity for small businesses.”

Chamber president and chief executive office Ellen G. van der Horst sent an endorsement letter to Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, and House Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina.

“The proposed 5 percent reduction in the income tax rate is a step in the right direction for small businesses, and the savings can be reinvested directly into those businesses, strengthening the very core of Ohio’s economy,” she wrote.

Rob Nichols, Kasich’s spokesman, welcomed the endorsement. “We’re absolutely certain it will lead to job creation,” he said of the income tax cut.
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2012/04/26/cincinnati-chamber-endorses-income-tax-cut/

Ohio GOP seek deal, stall vote on repeal Senate Bill 295

Marc Kovac

April 26, 2012

By Marc Kovac | R-C Capital BureauRavenna Record Courier

COLUMBUS — Republicans in the Ohio House have postponed a preemptive repeal of a controversial GOP-backed election reform package to be decided by voters in November, hoping to negotiate an agreement with the group behind the referendum and avoid legal challenges to lawmakers’ actions.

The move came in the middle of a floor debate late Wednesday on Senate Bill 295, after House Minority Armond Budish and other Democrats approached House Speaker Bill Batchelder and other Republicans about the possibility.

Fair Elections Ohio, which gathered the signatures to force the issue, could voluntarily pull the referendum from the ballot, though the campaign has indicated lawmakers would have to restore three days of early in-person voting in addition to the election law repeal.
http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/5182680

After Death of Home-Schooled Girl Makayla Norman, Ohio Legislature Unlikely to Make Changes

April 26, 2012 | 12:30 PM

By Molly Bloom
State Impact

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and House Speaker Bill Batchelder told homeschooling advocates they see little need to change state laws regulating homeschooling in response to the death of a 14-year old Dayton girl who was homeschooled and starved to death in her home, the Home School Legal Defense Association says. (H/t to Innovation Ohio’s Stephen Dyer for pointing out the report.)

Makayla Norman, who had cerebral palsy and couldn’t walk, talk or take care of herself, was withdrawn by her mother from the Dayton Public Schools in 2004 for homeschooling. The Dayton school district was supposed to track her education. But the Dayton Daily News reports that “school officials admitted they violated their own policies, failing to follow up on Makayla’s progress during her final seven years.”
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/2012/04/26/after-death-of-home-schooled-girl-makayla-norman-ohio-legislature-unlikely-to-make-changes/

Only Agreement on HB194 Repeal is to Talk

Hannah Report 4/26/12

A day after the House suddenly ended debate on a bill to repeal controversial elections omnibus HB194 (Mecklenborg-Blessing), the sponsor of the repeal bill and the group pushing the referendum said there are still a number of issues to sort out.

House Democrats indicated Wednesday that proponents of the referendum on HB194 would be more willing to support repeal legislation SB295 (Coley) if it were to restore the final three days of early voting. (See The Hannah Report, 4/25/12.) Fair Elections Ohio also indicated on Thursday that it wants those early voting days restored.

But Sen. William Coley (R-West Chester) said Thursday that the bill must remain as it is and be a straight repeal of HB194. http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189242

Governor Supports Repeal Of Elections Law; Sponsor Says He Wants Language To Remain As-Is

Gov. John Kasich on Thursday voiced support for Republican efforts to repeal a controversial elections overhaul bill, while the legislation's sponsor said he supports the measure's language without additions but would be open to suggestions on a separate voting proposal.

Gov. Kasich told reporters after a Statehouse event that he has encouraged legislators to "go back to the table and try to work things out" to make a "better product" on elections reform.

"It's not an issue that I was intimately involved with, but I think it's the leaders of the legislature that said, 'Let's take another crack at it,' and I think that's good," the governor said.

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810810204

Faber Says 2012 Redistricting Issue Still Possible As Task Force Meets

Republicans and Democrats mostly saw eye-to-eye during the inaugural meeting of the Redistricting Reform Task Force Thursday, and the GOP co-chair said he believed the legislature could still act in time to place an issue before voters in November.

There was little sign of the partisan hullabaloo that marked passage of new Congressional maps last year (HB 369 ) and Co-Chairs Sen. Keith Faber (R-Celina) and Sen. Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) vowed to work together for the good of Ohio voters. But discussions after the hearing revealed that deep differences remain between the two parties.

Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) has expressed doubt that the legislature would adopt a redistricting proposal before the Aug. 8 deadline to place an issue on the November ballot, but Sen. Faber said he thought it was still "very much a possibility."

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Senate president pro tem said there was a considerable amount of agreement on certain issues in the three redistricting proposals that legislators of both parties have offered in recent years.

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810810203