Ron's Journal Archive
Constitutional Amendments Top January Legislative Agenda
1/11/2010
With contentious budget repair legislation adopted before Christmas, the Ohio General Assembly is moving on to other matters for the new year.
It looks like three issues are under serious consideration for placement on the May ballot as the February 4 deadline for submitting them to the Secretary of State looms. They are:
1. Extend Third Frontier Economic Development Program:
This has been my primary assignment lately, as I was deeply involved in the original work that led to Ohio's initiative to strengthen the parts of our economy that we expect to grow into our future. That was in the first half of the last decade.
Now we are looking at asking voters to extend their approval for the bonds our state has used to finance much of this program so far. HJR 12 is scheduled for amendments and a vote this week in the House Economic Development Committee and in the full Housei.Work went well on amendments that are aimed at improving the marketibility of this proposal to voters.
I'm pleased to report that I've been experiencing bipartisan cooperation on this project, which is refreshing, given the unfortunate frustrating environment last year.
On Wednesday it is expected that HJR 12 will be ready for a vote in the full House voting session scheduled for 1:30 PM. After that the Senate is expected to work further on the measure.
For more background on this important economic development issue, read my more extensive analysis.
2. Change the way legislative districts are drawn:
It appears that proposals to change how legislative lines are drawn after each census will get serious consideration this month. A resolution passed by the Ohio Senate on September 23, 2009 is to receive its first hearing on Tuesday at 3 PM in the House Elections and Ethics Committee in statehouse room 122. The senate version would require bipartisan approval of maps for both state and congressional legislative districts. House Democrat leaders have announced their desire to use a different proposal that relies heavily on mathmatical formulae that looks at competitive balance between the parties, keeping municipalities and counties together, and compactness. This may set up a challenging debate between the House and the Senate.
I've been analyzing both proposals in comparision to the plan set forth in our state constitution now. I have a number of questions and concerns that I'm continuing to pursue.
3. Change the location of the casino approved for Columbus:
Considerable public discussion is occurring on the possibility of changing the location of the Columbus casino approved by voters in November. Since those proposing the casino monopolies in four Ohio cities placed the legal description of the properities they want to build on in the Ohio constitution, this madness may well have another chapter, in the form of a constitutional amendment in which the owner of the Columbus monopoly asks to change locations in order to satisfy a number of Columbus interests. This proposal was not scheduled for a hearing as I posted this report.
Paid for by Citizens For Amstutz, Matthew Hochstetler Treasurer, 4456 Woodlake Trail, Wooster, OH 44691