GOP leaders not yet backing governor’s
plans
The Columbus DispatchWednesday February 20, 2013 4:15 AM
LIMA, Ohio — They
praised Gov. John Kasich as a leader and called him a man who is clearly
looking to Ohio’s future.
But Speaker William G.
Batchelder and Senate President Keith Faber stopped short of saying they are on
board with some of the governor’s major budget initiatives.
“His proposals for
change are proposals that must be examined in the legislature,” Batchelder,
R-Medina, said after Kasich’s State of the State speech.
Faber said: “You got
to see a bit of John Kasich’s heart tonight.”
Updated: 7:15
a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 | Posted: 4:05 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013
Taxes, Medicaid, education focus of Kasich address
By Laura A.
Bischoff and Jackie Borchardt
Lima — Gov. John Kasich used his third State of the State
address on Tuesday to convince Ohioans and state lawmakers that his budget plan
is the right mix of smart government service delivery and business-friendly tax
policy.
Kasich detailed
progress made in Ohio since he took office in 2011 and urged lawmakers to
continue to back his ideas, which he says will bring jobs to Ohio.
“If we unite
and we stay together, nothing but nothing can stop us from becoming the
greatest state in the greatest country in the world,” Kasich told the nearly
1,700 people in the audience during his hour-long address at the Veterans
Memorial Civic Center.
Gov. John Kasich focuses on Medicaid,
job creation, tax reforms in State of the State address
LIMA, Ohio - Gov. John Kasich used his State of the
State address Tuesday to tout proposals in his budget plan he says will drive
Ohio forward, saying now is not the time to ease up on the gas.
"Keep your eyes on the mountaintop," the
first-term Republican governor implored the audience at the Veterans Memorial
Civic & Convention Center.
The plan, billed as Ohio's Jobs Budget 2.0, includes a
bold overhaul of the state's taxing system intended to bolster revenue from the
sales tax while trimming income taxes, particularly for small businesses. It
would also tap revenue from the Ohio Turnpike to raise money for much-needed
road and bridge projects, revamp the state's school funding formula and expand
health care coverage for the poor.
Both Democrats and Kasich's fellow Republicans have
found things to like and dislike in his budget, and Kasich used his hourlong
speech to push back against the criticism, making an especially impassioned case
for the Medicaid expansion, which conservatives have scorned.
Kasich: 'We can be a shining
example'
Published: Wed, February 20, 2013 @ 12:01
a.m.
By MARC KOVAC
news@vindy.com
LIMA
Calling jobs “our greatest moral purpose” and defending a
two-year spending plan that he says will ensure the state remains on the economic
upswing, Gov. John Kasich outlined his vision for Ohio Tuesday night.
“My mission is to make sure that everybody in our state
has a chance to realize their hopes and dreams and that their families can do
much better,” the governor said. “Because it’s not good enough for some to do
well while we leave others behind. We must [work] everyday to make sure that
everyone has a chance in Ohio.”
He added, “We are succeeding here in Ohio turning our
state around, and it is fantastic.”
Reality TV comes to the legislature
Monday February 18, 2013 5:31 AM
Columbus Dispatch
Technology is rapidly
transforming the relationship between people and their government, as
underscored this month by the first live broadcast of committee meetings at the
Ohio Statehouse.
The broadcasts, at
ohiochannel.org or through public-access TV, so far have gone off without a
hitch.
And while many might
think the title of the first episode, “Finance and Appropriations Committee,” a
bit eye-glazing, the broadcasts couldn’t have begun with a more important
subject. This is the committee that is hashing out Gov. John Kasich’s proposed
biennial budget, which is the playbook for which services government will
provide — or not.
Rep. Ron Amstutz,
R-Wooster, opened his Feb. 5 committee meeting by explaining the change: “We
are attempting to make it a little easier for the public and interested parties
to participate in the process by using electronic technology.”
Kasich budget Dems could love? Thomas
Suddes
Irony fans, here's a big one: The Ohio House's 39
Democrats could help Republican Gov. John Kasich get his proposed
2013-15 budget passed.
There are ifs, ands and buts. Time was when
cross-aisle budgeting was how the General Assembly did business. But the curse
of term limits makes legislators strangers to one another, so forming
coalitions is tough.
Kasich may have to revive cross-party budgeting. Some
of the House's 60 Republicans are underwhelmed by his budget, irked by his bid
to expand Medicaid, wary of his tax-cut plan.
But Minority Leader Armond Budish, a Beachwood
Democrat, has applauded
Kasich for seeking to expand Medicaid. And last week, Rep. Nickie
Antonio of Lakewood and her fellow Democrats on the House's budget-writing committee
said they could help Kasich get Medicaid expansion done, assuming he addresses
other pressing Democratic concerns.
Kasich is
thinking big and long-term: Brent Larkin
Columbus -- An interview with John Kasich invariably
begins not with a question, but with a monologue.
The one I had with him Wednesday was no different.
"Look, this state was in so much trouble it was
ridiculous," began the governor of Ohio, setting down a golf club and
easing into a chair overlooking the Scioto River some 30 floors below.
"The state was literally dying. People were leaving as soon as they could
get their cars started. We were losing all these jobs. The vision was lost. So
we lumbered along."
Kasich is Ohio's best salesman since Jim Rhodes, its
most energetic pitchman since Dick Celeste. But when he gets on a roll, his
enthusiasm for the job sometimes comes laced with flights of fancy.
Legislative
Republicans Still Leery of Medicaid, Tax Proposals
While praising Gov. John Kasich's overall "State of the State" speech
Tuesday, legislative Republicans said they still have more study to do before
they will come on board with some of Kasich's ideas on expanding Medicaid and
broadening the tax base.
Kasich spent much of his speech making a case for the details of his FY14-15
biennium budget, but the legislative majority did not commit to adopting them.
Senate President Keith Faber (R-Celina) said the Legislature will do a full
analysis on the proposal to expand Medicaid and will look at its options before
moving forward. He added that the best options for the state may not be what
Washington, D.C. tells Ohio to do.
On the proposal to broaden the base of the income tax while lowering the
overall rate, House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) said it is a proposal
the Legislature needs to approach cautiously. He noted that other states that
tried such a broadening weren't successful. He said the House plans to look at
the impact on Ohioans through the plan, and will hear from businesses on the
plan.
Democrats See Holes In Governor's Proposals; GOP
Shows Support; Cabinet Reacts
Gongwer 2/19/13
GOP Response: Speaking to the governor's tax change
proposals, Senate President Keith Faber (R-Celina) said
Ohioans have a disproportionately large local tax burden, but the state gives
locals autonomy to implement them.
"Most of us, at least most of us on this side
of the aisle, believe in local control, and so we have to be very careful in
trying to take away that local control and that ability of them to fund their
local governments," he said, adding he thinks the best way to manage costs
is to drive efficiency.
On the governor's school funding formula and the
proposed distribution of resources to individual districts, House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina)
said he is confident the approach the governor is taking is the right one,
although it might needs some "finessing."
Sen. Faber, however, said he has concerns about
the formula for some districts, particularly those that are spending at or
below the state average per pupil and are not wealthy, which through the
distribution chart are falling on the guarantee.
"I think that most of us agree with the
concepts behind the governor's plan and the new school funding plan to try to
equalize between districts," he said. "To the extent that we're
seeing some anomalies and the devil's in the details, we need to make sure we
take a look at that."
