Updated: 5:56
p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 | Posted: 5:56 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013
Ohio leader notes concerns with expanding Medicaid
By ANN SANNER
The Associated
Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio
—
The leader of
the Ohio House said Wednesday his fellow Republicans have concerns about the
expense of expanding Medicaid, though he has yet to discuss with them whether
the state should increase Medicaid coverage under the federal health care
law.
Republican Gov.
John Kasich is expected to decide soon whether Ohio should opt for the Medicaid
expansion under the federal health care law known
as the Affordable Care Act. The governor plans to make the decision known when
he unveils his two-year state budget proposal on Feb. 4.
Should Kasich go for the expansion, the GOP-controlled Legislature would
have to approve it.
House Speaker William Batchelder, a Medina Republican, acknowledged
Wednesday that expanding Medicaid poses not just financial questions, but also
philosophical ones for lawmakers who oppose the law and its mandate for almost
everyone to obtain insurance.
House
Adopts Rules for 130th GA, Drops Deputy Clerk Position
Hannah Report 1/23/13
Hannah Report 1/23/13
In
the first split vote of the year, the House voted to adopt its rules for the
130th General Assembly despite objections from Democrats over the abolishment
of the deputy House clerk position.
The position was first created by Rep. Armond Budish (D-Beachwood), when he was speaker in the 128th General Assembly and appointed former Clerk Laura Clemens to that spot. Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) retained the position last General Assembly, putting Tom Sherman in the deputy role for the 129th General Assembly. Sherman left the clerk's office in December.
Budish spoke out against getting rid of the deputy clerk, saying the position was created four years ago to create a clerk's office that works free of partisanship. Under the rule, a clerk and deputy clerk of different parties would be retained. He charged that after the November election, changes were made that will cut back the bipartisan nature of the office. http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=191727
The position was first created by Rep. Armond Budish (D-Beachwood), when he was speaker in the 128th General Assembly and appointed former Clerk Laura Clemens to that spot. Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) retained the position last General Assembly, putting Tom Sherman in the deputy role for the 129th General Assembly. Sherman left the clerk's office in December.
Budish spoke out against getting rid of the deputy clerk, saying the position was created four years ago to create a clerk's office that works free of partisanship. Under the rule, a clerk and deputy clerk of different parties would be retained. He charged that after the November election, changes were made that will cut back the bipartisan nature of the office. http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=191727
Justice
French Receives Ceremonial Swearing-In
Hannah Report 1/23/13
Hannah Report 1/23/13
The
last of the ceremonial swearing-in events was held Wednesday as Judith French,
an appointee of Gov. John Kasich, took the oath in front of a packed Statehouse
Atrium.
Although French was officially sworn in at the beginning of the year by her predecessor, Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, the newest justice was sworn-in again on Wednesday by Ohio Supreme Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who talked about the collegial manner of the court. Among those attending the ceremony were French’s fellow justices, House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina), Attorney General Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Jon Husted. http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=191718
Although French was officially sworn in at the beginning of the year by her predecessor, Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, the newest justice was sworn-in again on Wednesday by Ohio Supreme Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who talked about the collegial manner of the court. Among those attending the ceremony were French’s fellow justices, House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina), Attorney General Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Jon Husted. http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=191718
Gongwer 1/23/13
Democrats accused majority Republicans of
steering the House clerk's office to the right Wednesday as members debated
rules governing the chamber's operations for the next two years.
During the House's second session of the 130th
General Assembly, Minority Leader Armond Budish
(D-Beachwood) criticized Speaker Bill Batchelder's (R-Medina)
decision to eliminate the practice of having a clerk and deputy clerk from each
party.
The debate came before members voted 79-15 to
adopt House rules
for the new session.
Mr. Budish said he created the two-clerk system
four years ago when Democrats won the majority to ensure the office operated
smoothly without partisanship and noted Republicans retained the practice when
they regained control two years ago.
Gongwer 1/23/13
Gov. John Kasich has not yet said
whether he wants to expand Medicaid eligibility, but Speaker Bill Batchelder said Wednesday
any growth in the program would be a concern for his caucus.
Speaker Batchelder (R-Medina) also told
reporters that members would likely start introducing bills next week, although
he said the caucus has not created a list of priorities for the new session.
The federal Affordable Care Act originally
required states to expand Medicaid eligibility to those earning up to 138% of
the federal poverty level. But last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling made the
requirement optional.
Politics Notebook: Kasich Makes Official Request
For Speech Venue; Dems Still Irate Over Terhar Status
Gongwer 1/23/13
Gov. John Kasich has made official his
request to deliver his third State of the State address in Lima and take the
show on the road for the second year in a row.
Mr. Kasich said in a letter to Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina)
that he understood many lawmakers regard as a tradition the usual practice of
delivering the speech in the House chambers at the Statehouse.
Court Briefs: French Sworn In; Justices Decline
Dann Appeal; Former Auditor Candidate Sentenced; Deadline Set In House Race
Recount Suit…
Gongwer 1/23/13
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith French was
formally sworn in as a member of the court on Wednesday during a Statehouse
ceremony.
Before hundreds of family, friends, and elected
officials in the Statehouse atrium, several prominent speakers took their turn
lauding the 156th member of the court.
The Grandview Heights Republican, a former
appeals court judge and chief legal counsel to former Gov. Bob Taft, was
appointed to the court last month by Gov. Kasich to succeed Evelyn Lundberg
Stratton. (See Gongwer Ohio Report, December 20, 2012)
Ohio State University Law School Dean Alan
Michaels said that while attending OSU, Justice French was the only student
ever to participate in the Moot Court competition twice. And, he said, she did
so while simultaneously earning a law degree and a master's in military history
and strategic studies.
"In Judith French, he has appointed a
brilliant and dedicated public servant with a passion for the work of the
judiciary and a deep understanding of government processes," he said.
House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina)
recounted when Justice French argued before the U.S. Supreme Court about the
constitutionality of a Cleveland school voucher program that he carried through
the legislature.
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