Local news coming soonSENATOR STEVE BUEHRER

CAPITOL LETTERS

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

MAY WILL BE BUSY MONTH AT STATEHOUSE

The May 4th Primary Election will mark the beginning of what is expected to be a busy month at the Statehouse. From casino gambling to gun rights to economic development, the General Assembly is expected to move forward with discussion on a number of key issues. I also have several bills pending in the House and Senate that I will continue to work to advance in the coming weeks.

Last November, Ohio voters approved State Issue 3, which authorized four Las Vegas-style casinos to be built in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo. While many of my colleagues and I opposed the ballot measure, the Legislature has a legal responsibility to pass language by early June that would implement rules for these casinos. The House and Senate have made significant progress on the issue and will work throughout May to reach an agreement before the deadline.

In addition, the Ohio Sunset Review Committee, which is responsible for reviewing the budgets and operations of numerous state agencies, boards and commissions to evaluate their usefulness, performance and cost-effectiveness, is expected to submit a report of its findings to the Governor and legislative leaders this month outlining which of these boards and commissions should be continued or abolished. Legislation will then be drafted based on these recommendations. The Sunset Review Committee is an important tool to identify where Ohio taxpayer dollars are going and help eliminate unnecessary costs, particularly at a time when the state is forced to work with very limited resources.

The Senate is also exploring other opportunities to generate revenue for the state without raising taxes on Ohio families and businesses. State Senator Keith Faber recently introduced Senate Bill 241, legislation that would authorize the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to enter into leases for oil and gas development on state land. This would not only raise millions of dollars per year to help balance Ohio’s budget, but it would also work to reduce our state’s dependence on foreign oil. It is likely that the Senate Environment & Natural Resources Committee will begin hearings on SB 241 over the next few weeks.

Additionally, my colleagues and I in the Senate could vote this month on Senate Bill 179, legislation that would prohibit the state from using federal stimulus dollars to purchase road signs which indentify projects that are funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. State Senator Tim Grendell, who sponsored the bill, recently testified before the Senate Highways & Transportation Committee that Ohio has spent up to $3,000 each on these signs—money that could have been directed to buy equipment and supplies or hire additional workers.

As we head into the summer, it is also critical that the General Assembly continues to focus on efforts to help strengthen our state’s economy. In March 2009, my colleagues and I in the Senate approved Senate Bill 3, which seeks to improve Ohio’s regulatory environment to reduce government red tape that drives up costs for businesses and puts our state at a disadvantage when competing for investment and jobs. The House State Government Committee recently passed an amended version of the bill after sitting on it for months. I hope to see the House and Senate and other interested parties work together in the coming weeks to reach agreement on the proposal.

In addition, I will work this month to urge the House to take action on Senate Bill 162, legislation that I introduced last August, which seeks to modernize Ohio’s decades-old regulatory system for telephone providers in an effort to promote greater competition between telecommunications companies in the state, encourage product innovation and help spur development and job growth in our local communities. The bill passed the Senate with strong bipartisan support in December.

While Arizona’s new immigration law has gotten a great deal of attention in recent days, the Ohio Senate approved two bills in March—Senate Bill 35 and Senate Bill 150—that would authorize local law enforcement to partner with federal immigration officials to help enforce federal immigration laws in Ohio and work to reduce the tremendous strain illegal immigration has put on our state’s health care system, prisons and other taxpayer-funded resources. I hope House Democrats will move forward with hearings on these common sense proposals this month.

A number of other important issues will be on the Senate’s agenda in May, including a bill to strengthen the rights of lawful gun owners under Ohio’s concealed carry statute; a measure designed to help make Ohio more competitive with surrounding states to attract renewable energy projects and create green jobs; and legislation that I introduced in March which would ban the immoral practice of human cloning in Ohio.

For more information on these and other bills, please visit the Ohio General Assembly website at www.legislature.state.oh.us.

I encourage residents from the 1st Senate District to contact me with any questions, thoughts or concerns about state government issues. You can write me, Senator Steve Buehrer, Ohio Senate, Statehouse, Columbus, Ohio, 43215, or contact me by phone at (614) 466-8150. I can also be reached by email at SD01@senate.state.oh.us. In addition, for more information about my work in the Ohio Senate, please visit my page on the new Senate website at www.ohiosenate.gov/steve-buehrer.

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For more information, please contact Kim Wheeler in my office at 614-466-8150