DEBRA GASKILL
OCM News Service
Wilmington News Journal
COLUMBUS — Two Washington Court House residents are among 10 finalists for the 85th Ohio House District seat.
Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) and members of the House Republican Caucus today announced the candidates who have applied for appointment to the vacant 85th Ohio House District seats.
The candidates are vying for the seat left vacant when Bob Peterson (R-Sabina) accepted the 7th District Ohio Senate Seat and was sworn in March 21. That position became available when Sen. David Daniels (R-Greenfield) resigned after being named Ohio Department of Agriculture director by Gov. John Kasich.
http://www.wnewsj.com/main.asp?SectionID=49&SubSectionID=156&ArticleID=198201
Republicans to split budget into series of bills
April 14, 2012
By MARC KOVAC
Dix Capital Bureau
Wooster Daily Record
COLUMBUS -- Republicans in the Ohio House plan to separate Gov. John Kasich's 2,700-plus plage mid-biennium budget changes into a series of bills, with hopes of moving most before the summer recess.
Speaker Bill Batchelder and finance committee Chairman Ron Amstutz unveiled the list Thursday during a conference call with reporters. Amstutz called the new bills a "next logical step" in the process, following hearings in various House committees on the legislation.
Absent from the list is Kasich's proposed tax hike on oil and gas production from horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or fracking and its corresponding income tax cut.
http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/5178530
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Ohio comes up with first guidelines for drilling in state parks, and House Speaker says a higher fracking tax is still being considered.
House Speaker says the trade of an income tax cut for a fracking tax increase will continue to ba a major part of state budget discussions
by WKSU's STATEHOUSE CORRESPONDENT BILL COHEN
Reporter
Bill Cohen
For weeks, Gov. John Kasich's proposal to raise taxes on oil and gas drillers and to lower the state income tax has been stalled by fellow Republicans in the Ohio House. In fact, they had stripped the idea out of a larger budget review they're moving ahead with.
Now, though, key Republicans are stressing the tax shift plan is still in play. House Speaker Bill Batchelder, told Ohio Public Radio’s Bill Cohen the idea has been discussed throughout the legislative recess.
“And we will be working in the future on all aspects of the oil, fracking, taxing and so forth issues. … We’re going to do as much as we can do as soon as we can do it, but we certainly have more to do there than in any other area.”
http://www.wksu.org/news/story/31342
Ohio lawmakers may take up Kasich tax cut plan – or maybe they won’t
Business First by Jeff Bell, Staff reporter
Date: Thursday, April 12, 2012, 2:49pm EDT
Staff reporter - Business First
Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder isn’t ruling out action by state lawmakers on Gov. John Kasich’s controversial income tax cut plan – but the speaker isn’t embracing it either.
During a discussion with reporters Thursday, the Republican from Medina said Kasich’s proposal is not fully on the shelf as earlier reported. He said it could resurface as lawmakers divide the governor’s 2,700-page mid-biennium budget bill into 10 separate pieces of legislation.
“We will do as much as we can do as soon as we can do it,” he said of the tax-cut proposal.
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/04/ohio-lawmakers-may-take-up-kasich-tax.html
The Truth-O-Meter Says:
An effort to repeal voting-reform legislation would be "the first time in Ohio history where a bill has been passed to stop a referendum."
Eric Kearney on Wednesday, March 28th, 2012 in a speech in the Ohio Senate
Eric Kearney says a repeal of voter reform legislation that is the target of a referendum would be a first for Ohio
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A bill to reform Ohio election laws, House Bill 194, has been a consistent source of controversy since it was introduced last year.
The latest flap came on March 28 when the Ohio Senate passed a bill to repeal the law, which Democrats and others have called a "voter suppression" bill.
Although they oppose HB 194, largely because it restricts early voting opportunities, Democrats also spoke out against the bill’s repeal because there already is a referendum on HB 194 scheduled for this fall’s ballot.
http://www.politifact.com/ohio/statements/2012/apr/09/eric-kearney/eric-kearney-says-repeal-voter-reform-legislation-/
Gov. Kasich Forces Ohio GOP Party Chair to Resign
Friday, 06 Apr 2012 07:29 AM
By Sandy Fitzgerald
Newsmax
Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine is stepping down, leaving behind a bitter fight for control of the party, due to pressure from Gov. John Kasich and his political aides.
DeWine, in a letter to the GOP state central committee, said he will step down April 13,when the party’s governing body meets to reorganize, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
DeWine, in a letter to the GOP state central committee, said he will step down April 13,when the party’s governing body meets to reorganize, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
DeWine has been party chairman since 2009, but Kasich has been pushing for his resignation, resulting in a bitter fight for control of the central committee during the March 6 primary and possibly causing a split in the party. Analysts say Republicans will need to carry Ohio to defeat President Barack Obama this fall.
Columbus--The Ohio House Committee on Commerce and Labor heard sponsor testimony on the Equal Housing and Employment Act on March 28. Backers hope the bill will have additional hearings.
The measure, known as EHEA, is sponsored by Reps. Ross McGregor of Springfield, a Republican, and openly lesbian Nickie Antonio of Lakewood, a Democrat.
It would bar discrimination by sexual orientation or gender identity in public and private employment, housing and public accommodations. Twenty-one states and 17 Ohio cities have similar laws in place, but there is no equivalent federal one.
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories12/april/0406122.htm
Kasich Reiterates Commitment for Statehouse Holocaust Memorial at Tuesday Ceremony
Hannah Report 4/17/12
Gov. John Kasich reiterated his commitment for a Holocaust Memorial to be built on the Ohio Statehouse grounds Tuesday in remarks at the 32nd Annual Holocaust Commemoration, saying it would be the "first memorial recognizing man's inhumanity to man in the United States of America."
Staff later clarified that it would be the "only Statehouse Holocaust Memorial in the U.S."
Kasich predicted the memorial would be underway by this time next year with the dedication "maybe a year after that.
"That will be a great day."
Kasich initially called for the memorial in remarks a year ago, putting language in both the Mid-Biennium Review bill, HB487, and then in the capital reappropriations bill, SB312, where it caught the attention of Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) Chairman, former Sen. Richard Finan, who opposed the provisions as originally proposed. (See The Hannah Report, 3/27/12.) Language was finally approved in SB312 that would see CSRAB and the Ohio Arts Council work together "for the erection of a permanent memorial to victims of the Holocaust (1933-1945) and to those Ohioans who participated in the liberation of the death camps during World War II" in "a prominent place on the lawn or other outside grounds of Capitol Square. ..." http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189153
Batchelder Announces New Committee/Subcommittee Chairs, Committee Assignment Shifts
Hannah Report 4/17/12
Amid a number of committee assignment changes announced Tuesday, Speaker of the House Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) named the following new committee chairmen: Rep. Ron Young (R-Leroy), chair of the newly named House Commerce, Labor and Technology Committee; Rep. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton), chair of the House Criminal Justice Committee; and Rep. Rex Damschroder (R-Fremont), chair of the House Transportation, Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee. Also named was House Finance and Appropriations Higher Education Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville).
While Schuring replaces former Rep. Lynn Slaby (R-Copley), who resigned earlier this month to take a seat on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), Young, Damschroder and Rosenberger replace current but time-limited legislators: Rep. Joe Uecker (R-Loveland), Rep. Courtney Combs (R-Fairfield) and Rep. Randy Gardner (R-Bowling Green), respectively.
According to Batchelder spokesman Mike Dittoe, "Speaker Batchelder, just as he did when he was minority leader, asked that all non-returning members to step down from their leadership posts in their final year to give other members the opportunity to serve in a leadership role on a committee.
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189154
Dems Criticize GOP Provisional Ballot Lawsuit
Hannah Report 4/17/12
Democrats Tuesday continued criticizing their Republican counterparts over the state's election laws, blasting a decision by House and Senate leaders to sue Secretary of State Jon Husted in the Ohio Supreme Court over claims that a federal order to count provisional ballots violates state election law that does not allow for such counting of ballots.
The lawsuit was announced by Senate President Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond) and House Speaker Pro Tem Lou Blessing (R-Cincinnati) and targets a consent decree signed by former Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in 2010 that prohibits county election boards from rejecting provisional ballots where a voter uses the last four digits of their Social Security number. (See The Hannah Report, 4/16/12.)
Brunner issued a statement through Fair Elections Ohio, the group she co-chairs that is pushing to have elections reform bill HB194 (Mecklenborg-Blessing) overturned by voters in November, calling the lawsuit a "bootstrap effort to try to achieve what legislative leaders have been unable to accomplish in trying to repeal HB194." http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189157
House GOP Announces Candidates for 41st, 85th Districts
Hannah Report 4/13/12
Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) announced Friday the names of the individuals applying for appointment to the vacant 41st and 85th Ohio House District seats. The 41st District seat became vacant with the resignation of Rep. Lynn Slaby (R-Copley) who was appointed to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, while the 85th District seat became vacant with the resignation of Rep. Bob Peterson (R-Sabina) who was appointed to the Senate.
“Members of the House Republican Caucus look forward to speaking with these candidates to decide who will be the next representatives of the 41st and 85th Districts,” Batchelder said in a statement. “All of these individuals are strong candidates who possess the qualities necessary to not only be valuable additions to our caucus, but also to represent their communities with integrity and dedication.”
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189138
Uecker Wins Senate Seat; Smith Gets House Seat
Hannah Report 4/9/12
Three recounts of races from the March 6 primary have been completed, and two of the winners likely have sealed their tickets to the General Assembly.
Rep. Joe Uecker (R-Loveland) was officially named the winner in the 14th Ohio Senate District race, besting Paul Hall by 182 votes. Because no Democrat filed to run in the seat now held by Senate President Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond), Uecker will fill the seat in the 130th General Assembly.
The winner of the 93rd House District primary will get into the General Assembly a little earlier. Financial planner Ryan Smith, who serves on the Gallipolis City School Board, was declared the winner of the 93rd House District Race over Lawrence County Economic Development Corp. Director Bill Dingus. http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189077
House Republican Caucus Announces Staffing Changes
Hannah Report 4/5/12
House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) announced several changes to his caucus staff Thursday, including the addition of a former legislator as a policy aide and the promotion of some other members of his staff.
“I’m pleased to welcome these promising individuals to the House majority caucus staff,” Batchelder said in a statement. “Several of them have been promoted to positions that best suit their talents in serving the House. I have always strived to hire hard-working and dedicated staff who will work tirelessly for this institution and are dedicated to serving the best interests of all Ohioans.”
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189053
Gongwer 4/17/12
Democrats repeated calls Tuesday for Republicans to leave the fate of last year's controversial election law up to the voters and described a new GOP lawsuit as an attempt bypass parts of the referendum.
Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) said during a news conference that the lawsuit Republicans filed in the Ohio Supreme Court earlier this week over a contested Hamilton County juvenile court race shows the GOP is determined to avoid counting provisional ballots.
The lawsuit filed by Senate President Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond) and Rep. Lou Blessing (R-Cincinnati) seeks a statewide nullification of a previous consent decree that blocks boards of elections from rejecting certain provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct due to poll worker error. (See Gongwer Ohio Report, April 16, 2012)
The election law that was stayed by Democrats' referendum (HB 194
A federal court decision earlier this week required boards of election to count certain provisional ballots in the contested 2010 race for Hamilton County juvenile court, Rep. Clyde said.
Gongwer 4/17/12
House Speaker Bill Batchelder on Tuesday made significant changes in House committee assignments, including the appointment of new chairs for three standing panels.
Rep. Rex Damschroder (R-Fremont) was appointed to chair the Transportation, Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee in place of Rep. Courtney Combs (R-Hamilton).
Rep. Ron Young (R-Painesville) will chair the newly named Commerce, Labor & Technology Committee in place of former chair Rep. Joe Uecker (R-Loveland).
And Rep. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton) will chair the Criminal Justice Committee in place of former Rep. Lynn Slaby.
Reps. Combs and Uecker - both removed from their chairs - will be leaving the House at the end of the year. Mr. Combs is term-limited, while Mr. Uecker is running for an open Senate seat.
http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810740206
http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_ID=810740206
Gongwer 4/16/12
House Democrats pitched a plan Monday to tap the state's surplus tax revenue and rainy day funds to increase funding for schools and local governments.
House Minority Leader Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) said the proposal would use $265 million in surplus revenue, $120 million of the $250 million in the Budget Stabilization Fund, and money from the governor's plan to increase gas and oil taxes to offset cuts to local entities included in the Republican-passed biennial budget (HB 153 ).
"Despite this growing revenue ... nothing is being done to curb the growing financial crisis for schools and local communities that was brought on by last year's historically deep state budget cuts," he said during a Statehouse news conference.
Republicans fired back, saying Democrats' previous budget hurt not only schools and local governments, but all Ohioans.
Politics Notebook: 12 Hopefuls Apply For Two House GOP Vacancies; LGF Cuts A Campaign Issue; ‘Buffett Rule' Report Issued; Obama To Ohio: McCain, Christie For Mandel
Gongwer 4/16/12
Majority Republicans have 10 applicants to choose from to fill the 85th House District left vacant by Sen. Bob Peterson's appointment to the upper chamber.
Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) recently announced that a total of twelve applicants have expressed interest in two vacancies, with the opening in former Rep. Lynn Slaby's 41st House District attracting two candidates.
The House GOP Caucus said C. Allen Nichols, a library director from Fairlawn, has joined the mix for the seat formerly held by Mr. Slaby, who accepted an appointment to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
Gongwer 4/12/12
House Republicans on Thursday detailed their plan to process Gov. John Kasich's mid-biennium review budget proposals in separate pieces of legislation, although the proposed income tax cut and coinciding severance tax hike on oil and gas exploration will remained sidelined.
As expected, that proposal, which the majority caucus stripped from the package shortly after its introduction, is not the subject of any of the 10 measures that legislative leaders discussed in a conference call with reporters.
Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) and Finance Chairman Rep. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) continued to maintain that there were too many questions surrounding those particular tax proposals and not enough time for the legislature to work through them all before summer recess commences at the end of May.
"We're in the early stages of an analysis that will help guide us in terms of what direction that might take some time in the future," Mr. Amstutz said.
Gongwer 4/12/12
The Cleveland Teachers Union and Mayor Frank Jackson have reached a consensus on the district's plan to overhaul its way of educating children, officials said Thursday.
Bipartisan pairs of lawmakers introduced related legislation in the House (HB 506 ) and Senate (SB 325 ) last week despite differences of opinion on certain parts of the bill.
House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) and co-sponsor Rep. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) said during a conference call on the mid-biennium review (see separate story) that the Cleveland schools bills would be amended to incorporate changes made through the union and school leadership negotiations.
Gongwer 4/5/12
House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) announced Thursday a realignment in a number of staff positions in the House Republican Caucus.
Heather Mann, who most recently served as redistricting director for the House, who will now act as deputy policy director and deputy legal counsel for the speaker. Former Ohio Association of Gifted Children Vice President for Advocacy Colleen Grady will also join the staff as policy aide.
"I'm pleased to welcome these promising individuals to the House majority caucus staff," Speaker Batchelder said in a release. "Several of them have been promoted to positions that best suit their talents in serving the House. I have always strived to hire hard-working and dedicated staff who will work tirelessly for this institution and are dedicated to serving the best interests of all Ohioans."
Nick D'Angelo has been newly named a policy aide for the majority caucus, covering the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and the Economic and Small Business Development Committee. He previously served as the legislative aide for Rep. Terry Blair (R-Washington Twp.).
