Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Senator Harris offers Ohio Gov. Strickland 28 ideas for short, long term budget fixes


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In a media release distributed shortly after 7 pm Wednesday, after another frustrating day of closed door meetings on how to fill an immediate hole in Ohio's budget while also devising long term solutions both parties can agree on, Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland) said he is willing to meet Gov. Ted Strickland "more than half way if he will pledge to put politics aside and work with us on the bigger budgetary problems that we all know are ahead of us."

But what's reasonable to Harris was characterized as not being responsible by a spokesman for Strickland, who told William Hershey of the Dayton Daily News that the package of GOP proposals "is not a responsible way to address the serious budget challenges facing the state and Ohio’s schools.” Amanda Wurst, Strickland’s spokeswoman said, "…the governor believes that the Senate has the responsibility to either put forward a realistic and responsible proposal or adopt the tax freeze, even if that means working through the weekend.”

At issue is how to fill a budget hole of more than $900 million over the remaining months of Ohio's two-year fisal year that ends June 31st. Dollar Information sent along with tonight's announcement pegs the shortfall at $911.5 million. To help plug that gap, Harris proposes to allow one-third of the scheduled income tax reduction, or $284 million, to go into effect rather than the full freeze. He also wants to use $200 million in casino licensing fees, made possible by Ohio voters approving the construction of four casinos, one each in Toledo, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus. Another $30 million would come from sentencing reform savings, while amounts of $10 and $15 million would come from other reforms.

The statement from Harris said Senate Republicans, who control the upper chamber 21-12 over Democrats, continued to work to address the shortfall of about $851 million in state education funding.

He said he and his Republican caucus offered the Governor and his fellow Democrats a "reasonable compromise that addresses the shortfall in state education funding, ensures Ohio taxpayers will see approximately $280 million of the tax reduction they were promised over tax years 2009 and 2010, and takes important steps toward long-term cost savings for the state that will help in balancing the next state budget when federal stimulus and other one-time funding will not be available."

During the budget debate this spring, Republicans warned Strickland not to rely on one-time federal stimulus funds to prop up the budget because it would only lead to even harsher cuts in the next two-year budget cycle when manna from Washington dries up, and lawmakers would be faced with either cutting government down further than Strickland has already done or increasing revenues, which, as Harris emphasized again, goes against the grain of their economic policies.

“It is no secret that Senate Republicans have serious concerns about going back on the income tax cuts Ohioans are already enjoying today," Harris said, adding that he and his political cohorts "believe that allowing Ohioans to keep more of their hard-earned money during a recession should continue to be a priority for leaders in state government."

To demonstrate the size of the olive branch they have offered Strickland, Harris reiterated that he has committed to "passing sentencing reform and construction reform," proposals he said Strickland has already endorsed.

Harris, underscoring the need to find common ground in order to "address today's shortfall, but in saving state and local governments hundreds of millions of dollars in the long run," said he has delivered on the challenge made by Strickland that if Republicans didn't like what he was offering, they should present their own plan.

“The Governor told us to present our ideas. We have done that," Harris said, referring to the 28 amendments he proposes to put forward, that may or may not gain any votes from Senate Democrats. The Minority Caucus said if Harris wanted to gain their 12 votes and provide five of his own to reach the magic number of 17 to approve legislation, he would have to reach out to them. Harris countered by saying that his caucus had a Plan B that does not need a single Democrat to vote for it to pass it.

Harris encouraged Strickland to "give serious consideration to what we have put forth and rather than dismissing it out of hand, offer his constructive ideas so we can reach a truly bipartisan agreement. We owe it to the people of Ohio to work together and resolve our differences in a fiscally responsible manner.”

A draft synopsis of proposed amendments to HB 318 – the bill the Ohio House passed to fix the budget hole -- follow:

  1. Allow one-third of the scheduled income tax reduction to go into effect rather than freezing the full reduction
  2. Create a trigger mechanism by which an increased portion of or the full scheduled income tax rate reduction would occur if the Governor moves forward on VLTs, or if excess casino revenues are generated within the biennium and could be used to offset GRF
  3. Restores $25 million in FY 10 and $35 million in FY 11 for chartered, nonpublic schools which were disproportionately cut in the budget process
  4. Transfer the casino licensure fees, approved by voters as ‘state issue 3,’ into the GRF to offset current regional job program expenditures
  5. Grant waivers for school districts regarding unfunded mandates for all-day kindergarten and class size reductions
  6. Allow school districts to privatize transportation services if they choose to do so
  7. Provide flexibility in state report cards for school districts that failed to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) in certain sub groups
  8. Allow broader use of joint purchasing by education service centers and school purchasing consortia
  9. Inclusion of the SB190 ROTC high school credit provisions
  10. Inclusion of Ohio Construction Reform Panel recommendations as drafted by DAS (draft LSC 1411-3)
  11. Requirement that DAS implement paperwork reduction/cost savings strategies
  12. Inclusion of comprehensive sentencing reforms
  13. Establishment of an oil & gas drilling pilot program on state-owned land at Salt Fork
  14. Removal of pay cut language as it is now contained in SB20
  15. Create of a privatization commission to study state functions that could be privatized
  16. Specify that future collective bargaining contracts let by the state will coincide with the state’s biennial budget timeframe
  17. Require that three state agencies (DNR, EDU, and ODOT) undergo performance audits
  18. Study a state government restructuring plan similar to those proposed in SB52 and HB25
  19. Study potential cost savings and economic benefits to Ohio employers and injured workers by allowing private insurance companies to compete with the BWC
  20. Require the Auditor of State’s Office to determine if BWC has adequate reserves compared to industry standards and to recommend rebates if an over-reserve is determined to exist
  21. Study cost savings which may be achieved if the state were to go to a four-day workweek
  22. Transfers functions of the School Employee Health Care Board to DAS and deletes GRF appropriation in EDU
  23. Transfer $15 million per FY from the liquor profits fund into the GRF
  24. Transfer $15 million per FY from the Housing Trust Fund into the GRF
  25. Transfer $1 million per fiscal year in total from three Public Safety education funds (83G0, 83N0, and 8440)
  26. Specify that the insurance settlement funds for the Lake Hope State Park lodge be used for the purpose of fixing that site
  27. Use half of the current scrap tire fee to provide funding to the state’s Soil & Water districts
  28. Ensures correct appropriation authority for the Department of Mental Health’s 408 line item.here.

Follow me on Twitter @ohionewsbureau. Read more stories on people, politics and government in Ohio here.



As Ohioans get fatter, their wallets will get thinner, national health study says

November 18, 1:43 PMColumbus Government ExaminerJohn Michael Spinelli
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Silhouettes and waist circumferences representing
normal, overweight, and obese (Photo/Wikipedia)


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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If forecasts from a new national health study are correct, that more than 50 percent of adult Ohioans will be obese by 2018, it follows that all Buckeye wallets will become thinner as the costs for obesity-attributable health care services will be passed on in the form of higher insurance premiums.

A study commissioned by the United Health Foundation (UHF), Partnership for Prevention and American Public Health Association forecasts that the annual medical costs associated with obesity could rise by more than $1,800 per person within the next decade as Ohio's obesity rate tops 50 percent.

According to Kenneth Thorpe of Emory University, the rise of health insurance premiums could rise from $433 in 2008 to $1,877 a year in 2018, even for right-sized adults.

The ranking of states according to health profiles by UHF show Ohio moved from 34 last year to 33 this year. Vermont was first; Mississippi was last.

Among Ohio's list of strengths was a low rate of uninsured population at 11.6 percent, a high immunization coverage with 82.9 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving complete immunizations and low geographic disparity within the state at 9.2 percent. Ohio ranks higher for health determinants than for health outcomes, study details noted, indicating that overall healthiness should improve over time.

What are Ohio's health challenges? Among them are a high prevalence of obesity at 29.2 percent of the population, high levels of air pollution at 13.4 micrograms of fine particulate per cubic meter, low public health funding at $39 per person, a high rate of preventable hospitalizations at 84.2 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees, many poor mental health days per month at 3.9 days in the previous 30 days and a high rate of cancer deaths at 209.1 deaths per 100,000 population.

What's changed over time? Included are the prevalence of smoking decreased from 23.1 percent to 20.1 percent of the population. In the past five years, the percentage of children in poverty increased from 16.5 percent to 21.0 percent of persons under age 18. In the past ten years, immunization coverage increased from 47.7 percent to 82.9 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving complete immunizations. Since 1990, the prevalence of obesity increased from 11.3 percent to 29.2 percent of the population.

Childhood obesity bill introduced by Ohio Senators Kearney, Coughlin

In separate but related news, two Ohio senators, Democrat Eric Kearny of Cincinnati and Republican Kevin Coughlin of Cuyahoga Falls, introduced a bill (SB210) that involves Ohio schools in tackling the epidemic of childhood obesity.

Kearney, testifying before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Tuesday, said the "failure to address obesity at an early age will lead to lifelong health issues and will come at enormous expense.”

Backed by various health and business oriented groups, the bill contains provisions that build physical activity into the daily school routine and make it a key component of making children active again, requiring Body Mass Index measurements as students age and ensuring that children have access to nutritious foods in their school setting.

Follow me on Twitter @ohionewsbureau. Read more stories on people, politics and government in Ohio here.