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As the 127th General Assembly draws to a close there is important work remaining and I expect to see a flurry of activity over the next month as the finishing touches are put on many legislative proposals. This year there will also be several bills that will be developed and move quickly through the legislative process during this “lame duck” period.
One of the first issues is a state payment to veterans of the Persian Gulf War, the war in Afghanistan, and the war in Iraq. The initial proposal, Senate Joint Resolution 5, would have required the state of Ohio to take on debt to make payments of up to $1,000 to each veteran of the wars in the Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan. These payments have been made to veterans of past wars and my desire is to see this happen again. This is a concrete way for the state to let veterans know how much we appreciate them and the sacrifices they have made. My preference remains that we find funding for these payments in our current budget, and not through the issuance of additional debt.
Following the famous exchange between Joe the Plumber and now President-Elect Obama the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services ordered a check be made into Joe’s state records to see if he owed any type back taxes, child support, or other debts to the state of Ohio. There have been widespread accusations that the check was designed to dig up dirt to discredit this Ohio citizen for political reasons. The results of the check have been kept within the Department of Job and Family Services and there is no evidence that anything untoward happened as a result of the check. However, it has raised serious concerns in the Legislature that such background checks could be used inappropriately and legislation is being developed to ensure that state checks are used for legitimate purposes only and do not become a tool to discredit political opposition. While this citizen protection bill has not yet been unveiled I anticipate it will have my support and move quickly through the Legislature.
The final issue that I will address today which is likely to see action during the remaining time of the 127th General Assembly is reining in the recent changes to the way Ohio prevailing wage laws are applied. Prevailing wage law requires that contractors working on state funded projects to pay the prevailing wage to their employees. The prevailing wage is generally significantly higher than what the typical non-union company might pay their employees and is based on union contractor pay scales, including benefits and retirement. Recently the Governor has issued what he feels are clarifications to the way prevailing wage laws are applied. Many members of the Legislature feel that, rather than simply clarifying the standards, the Governor has greatly expanded the number of projects over which employers would be forced to pay the prevailing wage. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. John Carey (R- Wellston) has introduced legislation that will also clarify Ohio’s prevailing wage requirements, but without the expansion that was created under the Governor’s clarification. My hope is that as this legislation moves through the Senate and the House that we can reach an agreement with the Governor that will protect workers while also ensuring that we do not increase construction costs on projects where the state makes only a minimal investment, and thereby stifle economic development.
As the 127th General Assembly draws to a close these are a few of the issues we will be working on. Numerous other bills that may have passed only the House of Representatives or the Senate will also see extensive debate as the sponsors push for their bills to be completed by the second chamber and sent to the Governor. Despite the often hectic nature of this time I can assure you that each bill will be the product of in-depth examination and diligent work.
As always, I welcome your questions, comments and input on state government issues. Please feel free to contact me by mail (State Representative Jay Hottinger, 71st House District, 77 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215), by email (district71@ohr.state.oh.us) or by phone (614-466-1482).
