January 18

Ohio legislative leader wants thorough hearings on exotic pets

Published: Tue, January 17, 2012 @ 5:15 p.m.

COLUMBUS (AP) — The Republican leader of the Ohio House says thorough hearings are needed on whether the state should ban casual ownership of exotic animals.

A study committee and state agencies have proposed a framework for new regulations that would ban casual ownership of bears, lions, monkeys, venomous snakes and other wildlife. Zoo, circuses and research facilities would be exempt. The suggested ban would start in 2014.

House Speaker William Batchelder told reporters today that he wanted to find out through hearings what kinds of safeguards would be needed before 2014 and what animals should be included.
http://www.vindy.com/news/2012/jan/17/ohio-legislative-leader-wants-thorough-hearings-ex/

House Republicans set priorities for 2012

By  Jim Siegel

The Columbus Dispatch Tuesday January 17, 2012 3:04 PM

As Ohio families continue to struggle with a tough economy, House Republicans say they will focus in the coming year on on workforce development, changes to the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and developing a new system for funding Ohio schools.

House Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, today said he expected the House to tackle a number of issues but that it will be a less controversial year than 2011, which featured a number of high-profile partisan fights over issues including the state budget and collective bargaining.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/01/17/house-republicans-set-2012-priorities.html

Ohio House Republicans roll out this year's agenda; collective bargaining reform not a priority

Published: Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 5:50 AM

By Joe Guillen, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio House Republicans, coming off a year when Ohio voters soundly rejected their attempt at collective bargaining reform, said on Tuesday they will focus this year on the economy, workers compensation reform and helping Gov. John Kasich carry out his agenda.
Revisiting Ohio’s collective bargaining law was not high on their list.
Last fall voters overturned Senate Bill 5 - the controversial bill to weaken public workers’ bargaining power that Kasich and GOP legislative leaders supported.
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/01/ohio_house_republicans_roll_ou.html

Key Ohio redistricting negotiator says Dennis Kucinich threatened to run against Marcia Fudge

Published: Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 5:15 AM     Updated: Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 8:16 AM

By Henry J. Gomez, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio — U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich threatened to challenge a black incumbent in a minority district if a new congressional map wasn't drawn to his liking, the head of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus said Tuesday.

Kucinich, who is white, ultimately chose not to wage a Democratic primary battle with Congresswoman Marcia Fudge. He denied the accusation from State Rep. Sandra Williams.
"Not true," Kucinich said in a brief telephone interview. "Period."
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/01/key_redistricting_negotiator_s.html

Ohio House Republicans outline 2012 priorities, initiatives

John Michael Spinelli

Columbus Government Examiner

January 18, 2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio (CGE) - Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) and members of the House Republican Caucus unveiled their legislative priorities Tuesday for 2012 at a press conference at the Ohio Statehouse. Among their top goals for this legislative session are workforce development and the start of hearings on fixing the school funding formula.

In a media release following the event, the leader of the Majority Caucus, Speaker William G. Batchelder, said, "It was not too long ago that this state faced an $8 billion budget hole that was created when the former administration wrote short-term checks with disappearing ink. In 2011, this caucus faced one of the greatest challenges ever put onto the plate of a legislature—deciding whether to fill an enormous deficit by either reducing state spending or by raising taxes on every family in Ohio. We defied the skeptics; we filled this deficit without raising taxes, we kept vital services intact and protected our state’s most vulnerable. The second half of the General Assembly will be focused on building upon this strong foundation that we have worked so hard for and bringing about a brighter, more prosperous Ohio in a number of ways.”
http://www.examiner.com/government-in-columbus/ohio-house-republicans-outline-2012-priorities-initiatives

Jobs, collective-bargaining reform on Republicans’ agenda

Business First by Rick Rouan, Web coordinator

Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 2:56pm EST - Last Modified: Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 4:28pm EST

Rick Rouan

Web coordinator - Business First

The Ohio Statehouse’s Republican caucus laid out the road map for its legislative priorities in 2012 on Tuesday, but party leaders were short on details about how some of its biggest plans would take form.
State lawmakers are planning to revisit some of last year’s most contentious developments, including a companion piece of legislation to one that established Ohio’s privatized development arm, JobsOhio, and specific aspects of the new collective bargaining law that was defeated at the polls in November, said House Speaker William Batchelder, R-Medina.
Batchelder said legislators are planning to organize hearings to weigh reforms to the public retirement system and will look for pieces of Senate Bill 5 that are useful to municipal government agencies.
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2012/01/17/jobs-collective-bargaining-reform-on.html?page=all

House plans public hearings to discuss school funding methods

By MARC KOVAC
Dix Capital Bureau
Wooster Daily Record
COLUMBUS -- Republicans in the Ohio House plan to play host to another series of public hearings on the state's long-debated school funding methods, with hopes of further reforming a system that some say remains unconstitutional.
Rep. Ron Amstutz, a Republican from Wooster and chairman of the House's Finance Committee, said the latter will coordinate the hearings and work with Gov. John Kasich's administration to propose changes.
"We want these to be bipartisan discussions involving reforms in public education, both as to funding and to student achievement," Amstutz said during a press conference at the Statehouse.
http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/5147748

New Ohio School Funding Formula Likely Delayed Until 2013

January 18, 2012 | 4:00 AM

By Molly Bloom

Karen Kasler / Statehouse News Bureau

Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder, R-Medina, flanked by members of the House GOP caucus, previews the party’s 2012 agenda at a Jan. 17 statehouse press conference.

Ohio schools should not expect any signifcant changes in their state funding for at least another year.
Schools faced major state funding cuts for the current and next school year under a funding model Ohio lawmakers enacted in June. That funding model was supposed to be temporary. But on Tuesday House Republicans announced that they plan to hold a year of hearings on the topic.
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/2012/01/18/new-ohio-school-funding-formula-likely-delayed-until-2013/

House Republicans' New Priorities Include School Funding Study, Workers' Compensation

Gongwer 1/17/12

House Republicans said Tuesday that school funding, workers' compensation, and collective bargaining were issues topping the caucus's 2012 agenda, but members outlined an approach that emphasized ongoing study rather than the aggressive legislative action that marked last year.

Nearly every member of the House GOP caucus joined Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) during a Statehouse news conference to preview priorities after passing legislation to close a multi-billion dollar budget deficit (HB 153 ), restrict collective bargaining (SB 5 ), privatize job creation efforts (HB 1 ), expand oil and gas drilling on state lands (HB 133 ), and create new tax credits.

 Speaking to reporters after the event, the speaker anticipated that 2012 would be "perhaps less controversial because we did a lot of stuff that probably most groups wouldn't have done in their first year collectively."

Nonetheless, Democrats criticized what they see as "more of the same partisan overreaching agenda."
http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810100201

House GOP Sets 2012 To-Do List: BWC, Workforce, JobsOhio II, K-12 Study
Hannah Report 1/17/12

House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) and his GOP caucus laid out four top priorities they'll address in the coming months Tuesday, as well as a host of other issues that will draw their attention in 2012.

The big four are a streamlining of workforce development programs to foster economic growth, driven by the recommendations of a study committee that met in 2011; JobsOhio II legislation that will follow up on last year's HB1 (Duffey) and establish a new Development Services Agency; Bureau of Workers' Compensation reforms aimed at cutting bureaucracy and improving the care and rehabilitation of workers; and the launching of another review process for K-12 education reform, one expected to stretch into 2013.

Batchelder and Rep. Matt Huffman (R-Lima) also said Tuesday that any attempts this year to revive the less-controversial parts of SB5 (Jones) will need to garner support among local elected officials and labor leaders before lawmakers will be willing to take them up. Voters rejected the bill strongly in a November referendum.
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=188290