Updated: 12:12 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012 | Posted: 12:12 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012
What Senate lame-duck maneuver says about Ohio GOP
By JULIE CARR SMYTH
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio —
Not a month after Democratic President Barack Obama won Ohio, one of the state's most powerful Republican moderates unceremoniously spiked a trio of GOP-backed bills remaining this legislative session.
GOP Senate President Tom Niehaus, who is term-limited, axed proposals that would have limited abortion, hindered Planned Parenthood funding and tightened voter ID rules.
The move raised the question: Have Obama's two Ohio victories suddenly empowered centrists within the state's increasingly conservative GOP, or did the state just witness the final Hail Mary of a GOP moderate before his party lurches to the right?
John Green, who heads the University of Akron's Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics, believes Niehaus' move suggests the GOP got a wake-up call from voters.
Pay raise for officeholders? Not very likely
By Jim Siegel
The Columbus Dispatch Monday December 10, 2012 5:57 AM
Ohio’s state, county and township elected officials haven’t had a pay raise since the start of 2008, and it’s a long shot that they’re going to get one anytime soon.
While there has been talk in this lame-duck legislative session of enacting pay raises for those state and local officials — including judges, whose salaries are set by state law — the idea appears to be getting a cool reception from House and Senate leaders.
But Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, said he has spoken to members in both parties in both chambers, and he’s not giving up on seeing the bill move this week, likely the final days of House and Senate sessions this year.
A good way to jettison gridlock: editorial
Published: Saturday, December 08, 2012, 3:45 PM Updated: Saturday, December 08, 2012, 3:46 PM
Members of a bipartisan Ohio legislative task force think they are very close to a consensus proposal to reform how the state draws boundary lines for General Assembly and U.S. House districts. The group -- led by a pair of state senators, Democrat Nina Turner of Cleveland and Republican Keith Faber of Celina -- could settle on a blueprint as early as this week. Such a consensus would enable the incoming legislature and the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission to move quickly on reform in 2013.
Assuming it comes together, such a serious bipartisan initiative would represent a welcome break from the nonstop partisanship of Columbus. It also could provide a template for cooperative governing -- especially since Faber and Turner sit at opposite ideological poles.
OSHP Investigating Letters Threatening GOP Representatives, Their Families
Hannah Report 12/7/12
Hannah Report 12/7/12
"It's the most threatening thing I've actually seen in my years here."
That was the message from House Chief Legal Counsel Mike Lenzo regarding the letters that were anonymously sent to several representatives. The letters only suggested that they were a message from the "Army of the 12 Monkeys."
Lenzo did not want to discuss, in great detail, the content of the letters, which were received in September. But he did tell Hannah News that the messages were threatening to the representatives, their families and specifically their children.
"We see a lot of what are called 'crank' emails and -- occasionally -- phone calls and things like that from people. I've seen quite a few here in my time. But this is actually -- probably -- the most aggressively threatening letter that I've ever seen," said Lenzo, who then explained that these letters went beyond typical death threats. "It was a lot more than that." http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=191370
That was the message from House Chief Legal Counsel Mike Lenzo regarding the letters that were anonymously sent to several representatives. The letters only suggested that they were a message from the "Army of the 12 Monkeys."
Lenzo did not want to discuss, in great detail, the content of the letters, which were received in September. But he did tell Hannah News that the messages were threatening to the representatives, their families and specifically their children.
"We see a lot of what are called 'crank' emails and -- occasionally -- phone calls and things like that from people. I've seen quite a few here in my time. But this is actually -- probably -- the most aggressively threatening letter that I've ever seen," said Lenzo, who then explained that these letters went beyond typical death threats. "It was a lot more than that." http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=191370
Hannah Report 12/7/12
GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE
At Tuesday's session, the House passed HB278 (Stebelton), to increase the minimum liability coverage for auto insurance; HB496 (Hackett-Garland), which updates laws on psychology; HB567 (Sears), which updates laws on licensing of counselors, socials workers and marriage and family therapists; and SB333 (Obhof), which addresses mortgage loan originator licenses.
The Senate on Tuesday passed HB143 (Stinziano-O'Brien), the youth-sports concussion bill; HB325 (Landis), an omnibus highway naming bill; and HB334 (Johnson-Bubp), which deals with tracking pseudoephedrine sales and cracking down on synthetic drugs; and concurred with House amendments to SB141 (Gillmor-Hite). Senate President Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond) said he still thinks the Senate is on target to finish its work by Dec. 13.
House Clerk Jennifer Woodring submitted her resignation effective Jan. 7, when the new 130th General Assembly convenes. She wrote to House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) that she wants to have more time to spend with her daughter, who was born in May.
At Tuesday's session, the House passed HB278 (Stebelton), to increase the minimum liability coverage for auto insurance; HB496 (Hackett-Garland), which updates laws on psychology; HB567 (Sears), which updates laws on licensing of counselors, socials workers and marriage and family therapists; and SB333 (Obhof), which addresses mortgage loan originator licenses.
The Senate on Tuesday passed HB143 (Stinziano-O'Brien), the youth-sports concussion bill; HB325 (Landis), an omnibus highway naming bill; and HB334 (Johnson-Bubp), which deals with tracking pseudoephedrine sales and cracking down on synthetic drugs; and concurred with House amendments to SB141 (Gillmor-Hite). Senate President Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond) said he still thinks the Senate is on target to finish its work by Dec. 13.
House Clerk Jennifer Woodring submitted her resignation effective Jan. 7, when the new 130th General Assembly convenes. She wrote to House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) that she wants to have more time to spend with her daughter, who was born in May.
No comments:
Post a Comment