Updated: 5:23 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 | Posted: 5:22 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012
Ohio crackdown on Internet cafes runs out of time
By ANN SANNER
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio —
Don't bet on a crackdown this year on gambling operations known as Internet cafes.
The Ohio Senate won't act before the session ends this month on a proposal that amounts to a virtual ban on the game parlors.
Senate President Tom Niehaus said members of his Republican caucus had a number of concerns with the bill and not enough days left to fully vet the measure. The Senate aims to finish its work for the year by Thursday.
"We were simply running out of time," Niehaus told reporters, as he acknowledged that he wouldn't be bringing the measure to a vote.
Ohio Turnpike to stay public
The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday December 12, 2012 8:50 AM
Gov. John Kasich will not try to lease the Ohio Turnpike to a private entity and instead try to generate cash for state infrastructure projects while keeping the 241-mile toll road as a public asset, according to several lawmakers briefed on the administration’s plans.
The state could leverage the turnpike by issuing new debt against it or redirecting toll revenue toward projects away from the turnpike. Kasich would need a change in state law to spend turnpike revenue more than 1 mile away from the toll road.
Legislators who spoke on the condition they not be named said the administration seems to be steering away from a private lease of the turnpike. Kasich has been hinting at a possible lease for much of his two years in office — a move that would likely be the most vexing political hurdle for him to leverage the turnpike.
Posted: 9:00 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012
Ohio GOP not pushing a right-to-work bill
Columbus bureau
COLUMBUS —
While Michigan Republicans chose their lame-duck session to press legislation to become the 24th “right-to-work” state, backers of a similar law change in Ohio seem pointed toward a different venue: the ballot box.
Political leaders here show little interest in taking on that fight in the legislature, where memories of the ill-fated Senate Bill 5 remain strong. But a grassroots organization may force the issue with a November 2013 statewide ballot initiative.
Chris Littleton of Ohioans for Workplace Freedom is seeking 386,000 valid voter signatures by the first week in July to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot. “Politically, it’s very difficult for a legislature, regardless of who is in control, to do something this big,” Littleton said. If the voters weigh in on it, then the direction Ohio should take is much more clear, he said.
Sweepstakes Ban Won't Pass This Session
Hannah Report 12/11/12
Senate President Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond) blocked further action on sweepstakes parlor legislation Tuesday, telling his caucus there's not enough time to work through all the questions surrounding it, but lawmakers agreed the issue will resurface next year.
Niehaus told his caucus he wouldn't move HB605 (Huffman), a de facto ban, early Tuesday afternoon, after about three hours of testimony in Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee.
The morning hearing resembled closely what House members heard during the bill's short course through that chamber. Law enforcement said unclear jurisprudence has left them unsure whether and how they can crack down on businesses they see as clearly running illegal gambling and as likely venues for other crime. Owners, operators and employees of the parlors, also commonly known as Internet cafes, said they run upstanding establishments that provide a welcoming social atmosphere for people who prefer a closer, less expensive alternative to the casinos. http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=191400
House Sends Asbestos, Financial Institutions Tax to Governor
Hannah Report 12/11/12
The House sent bills addressing asbestos claims and the state's financial institutions tax to the governor Tuesday after agreeing to Senate amendments, despite opposition from Democrats.
Rep. Lou Blessing (R-Cincinnati) said while the split on his HB380, which addresses asbestos claims, has been partisan, he said amendments added by the Senate helped claimants out more than the legislation that left the House. He encouraged adoption of the amendments.
Rep. Mark Okey (D-Carrollton) said his side doesn't agree that the amendments make the bill better. He said that the underlying legislation still is taking a group suffering from a horrible disease and making their path to justice more complicated.
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=191401
Senate To Consider New Redistricting Plan, House Unlikely To Follow
Gongwer 12/11/12
A bipartisan measure to overhaul redistricting and reapportionment was introduced in the Senate Tuesday and set for a committee vote Wednesday, but proponents don't expect it to clear the House.
The proposed constitutional amendment (SJR 5 ), co-sponsored by Sen. Frank LaRose (R-Copley) and Sen. Tom Sawyer (D-Akron), would create a seven member redistricting commission that would require at least one member of the minority party to adopt legislative and congressional district maps.
The measure comes as the Redistricting Task Force prepares to issue its report this week. It was set for a hearing and possible vote Wednesday afternoon in the Senate State & Local Government & Veterans Affairs Committee.
Sen. Keith Faber (R-Celina), who co-chairs the task force, described the new measure as a "good compromise."
Sen. Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) said she viewed the proposal as a way to create a framework for a redistricting proposal that could be enacted next year.
"There was a lot of bloodletting with the lines that were drawn last year," she said. "So it is refreshing to me and encouraging to me to try to see us try to work in a true bipartisan manner."
Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) said recently that he didn't think there was sufficient time during lame duck session to tackle the redistricting issue.
Politics Notebook: Conservative Group Grades Lawmakers; House Dems Stand With Michigan Right-To-Work Opponents
Gongwer 12/11/12
Thirteen Ohio senators and 10 state representatives scored a top rating this year from the American Conservative Union, the Washington, D.C.-based group announced Tuesday.
The legislators, all Republicans, were graded in the ACU report by their votes on issues such as abortion, gun control, and tort reform.
Most of the Senate's incoming GOP leadership received a "Defender of Liberty" award for voting yes on all the highlighted legislation, including Sen. Keith Faber (R-Celina), Sen. Chris Widener (R-Springfield), and Sen. Larry Obhof (R-Medina). Sen. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) also scored a 100% rating, though he missed votes on two of the seven bills the ACU used to compute their ratings.
The ACU also identified five Democrats as "true liberals" who scored 0% in the group's ratings: Sens. Joe Schiavoni (D-Youngstown), Michael Skindell (D-Lakewood), Shirley Smith (D-Cleveland), Charleta Tavares (D-Columbus), and Rep. Mike Ashford (D-Toledo).
House, Senate Prepare For Busy Final Week Of Session
Gongwer 12/10/12on
Redistricting: Fueling speculation of action on a redistricting overhaul, the House State Government & Elections Committee Monday added a first hearing on Rep. Ted Celeste's (R-Grandview Heights) resolution to revise the General Assembly and Congressional redistricting process to its Tuesday meeting.
Mr. Dittoe said, however, the hearing is likely a matter of procedure.
"Before the end of a legislative session, House Rules allow for one hearing on all legislation introduced before May 15," he said. "All bills on the State Government and Elections agenda for tomorrow are sponsor testimony. The addition of HJR5 to tomorrow's agenda is not an endorsement, or non-endorsement, of any particular legislative proposal on redistricting and reapportionment."
The Redistricting Reform Task Force appears on track to issue a report before its Saturday deadline and there does appear to be some interest in the Senate for tackling the issue during lame duck session.
However, House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) indicated he was not on board with any plan to pass a redistricting proposal before the year's end.
"My thought would be: it's a bit late in the day to take that up. We haven't had public input," he said in an interview. The speaker reiterated his support for the Constitutional Modernization Commission to address the issue next year, instead.
House Action: Mr. Dittoe said the House expects to "clear the deck" this week with movement on Senate-passed bills and vice versa in the upper chamber.
Among the bills the House is planning to concur with Senate amendments is a measure to change how asbestos claims involving bankruptcy trusts are handled in Ohio courts, which resulted in a 19-14 vote in the upper chamber (HB 380 ).
Also planned for House concurrence are bills that would create the financial institutions tax (HB 510 ) and an extension of cell phone fees to fund 9-1-1 services (HB 360 ), Mr. Dittoe said.
Tuesday is expected to be a "slower day" in the House compared to Wednesday and Thursday when long session days are expected as leaders try to "get everything on the calendar that members are looking to get on the calendar," he said. In addition to final action on legislation, members will also complete their farewells to departing colleagues.
Mr. Dittoe said among the bills expected for floor votes this week are measures to add to and clarify the powers of a receiver and to provide a procedure for a receiver's sale of real property (HB 610 ) and to designate the month of May as "Better Hearing and Speech Month (SB 304 ).
Another bill in the House that could see enactment by the end of lame duck would establish conditions for the operation of certain specialized motor vehicles (SB 114 ). The measure is slated for a committee vote this week.
Constitutional Commission To Request Budget Appropriation
Gognwer 12/10/12
The full 32-member Ohio Constitution Modernization Commission met for the first time Monday and started the process of determining how the group would operate in the years to come.
After considerable discussion about a budget, staffing, consultants, communications, and procedure, members agreed to create a subcommittee in the near term to focus on pressing administrative issues in time for inclusion in next year's biennial budget.
Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina), who co-chairs the panel with Rep. Vernon Sykes (D-Akron), said he expected there would be a new line item to support the commission, but declined to estimate how much money might be appropriated.
The speaker said he believed the commission would likely need two or three full-time staff members devoted to the effort. He noted a similar panel that operated during the 1970s also had some full-time staffers.
