June 12

Deal struck on Kasich’s schools bill

By  Catherine Candisky

The Columbus Dispatch Tuesday June 12, 2012 7:46 AM

Special charter schools for gifted children are out, and there will be no exemption from Ohio’s school-closure law for failing dropout-recovery charter schools under an agreement reached by state legislators on Gov. John Kasich’s sweeping education bill.

The House and Senate are expected to pass Senate Bill 316 this week after legislators and the administration reached a compromise on competing versions of the proposal.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/06/12/deal-struck-on-kasich-education-bill.html

Signing of Ohio gas drilling regulations doesn't end debate

Jun. 12, 2012  |  

Written by

Julie Carr Smyth

Associated Press

COLUMBUS -- The policy debate about hydraulic fracturing in Ohio doesn't end with Gov. John Kasich's signing of new drilling rules Monday.

A fellow Republican in the Ohio House said Monday he and some GOP colleagues plan to revisit the governor's proposed tax increase on the industry before the session ends in December, setting up a likely fight among lawmakers, the governor and the oil and gas industry.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves blasting millions of gallons of chemically laced water into the Earth to fracture shale formations and release oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids such as propane.

http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20120612/NEWS01/206120303/Signing-Ohio-gas-drilling-regulations-don-t-end-debate

Mid-Biennium Review SB316 Scheduled for Few More House ‘Tweaks’

Hannah Report 6/11/12

Mid-Biennium Review education bill, SB316 (Lehner), is heading back to the House Education Committee, Chairman Gerald Stebelton (R-Lancaster) announced Monday, saying he and House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) agree more changes should be made to the omnibus before a final vote by the full House.

The legislation, which saw a flurry of insertions and retractions in May, was last destined for Conference Committee when it received informal House passage on May 24. (See The Hannah Report, 5/23/12, 5/24/12.) Stebelton, however, signaled a return to major work on the bill in the House Monday.

“I have been working with the speaker on this bill, and we have decided that there are a few tweaks to make to the bill before having a full House vote,” he said in a memo to House Education Committee members. http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189679

House Preps Changes, Including Removal Of Gifted Provisions, To Education MBR

Gongwer 6/11/12

The chairman of the panel considering Gov. John Kasich's education MBR on Monday detailed planned changes to the bill, which is slated for final action in the legislature this week.

Rep. Gerald Stebelton (R-Lancaster) said in a memorandum to House Education Committee members that in working with House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina), he has developed a substitute bill (SB 316 ) with a number of additions and deletions to the policy measure.

Notably removed from the proposed sub bill is language pertaining to the creation of regional gifted schools. The latest version, which reverses House-added provisions, would also reinstate current law allowing school administrators to be gifted education coordinators.

http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=811120203