State Rep. Ron Amstutz's Online Office
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The Ohio House concluded its active legislative voting sessions at just before 4 AM Friday morning, June 4.  The Ohio Senate concluded at a similar time. A schedule has been announced for the second half of 2010, that calls for several weeks of active voting sessions after the November 2 general election. The schedule is available here.

 

Ron's Journal

New tax on Ohio hospitals is killing jobs

7/16/2010

The following guest column was written by one of my colleagues on the House Finance Committee who is an expert in the health care industry. She shares concerns that I've been voicing on this critical issue:

Hospital Tax is Putting Jobs and Ohio’s Economy at Risk Yesterday at 3:51pm
by State Representative Barbara Sears 
Ohioans have long felt the effects of the downturn in our state’s economy. With unemployment in the double digits for the 14th consecutive month, the vitality of our communities is being challenged and the wellbeing of our families compromised. Even in the midst of all this fiscal strain, many lawmakers in Columbus still believe “taxing our way out” is the path to economic success. 

A new $150 million hospital tax was added the state operating budget for FY 2010-2011 as a way to help balance a poorly organized budget . . .

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Celebrating July 4 on Sunday this year and every day

7/4/2010

May this day be one of renewal to the foundational principles that converged at the beginnings of our nation. Given that this July 4th falls on Sunday, I'm sharing some connections to comments and views that came from our early national leaders. May they encourage, challenge and inspire us again today! 

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Ohio next budget gets first public meeting

6/29/2010

At 1:30 PM today I'll be participating in the first meeting of a six-member budget planning commission that was created almost a year ago with passage of the current two-year state.  It was known then that the dynamics enacted in the current operating budget set the stage for an extremely difficult budget that will need to be ready for executive recommendation in about eight months.

Today's first meeting has a modest goal -- to organize and hear a general budget presentation from the budget office of our Legislative Service Commission.

In some ways this commission is like the Conference Committee on the Budget.  In other ways it is almost the opposite.

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Paid for by Citizens For Amstutz, Matthew Hochstetler Treasurer, 4456 Woodlake Trail, Wooster, OH 44691