Ohio Municipal League
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Speaker Announces Education Plan.

Though it was a busy week at the Statehouse on a number of issues, all were overshadowed by the unveiling on Monday of a new proposal for school funding put forth by Speaker of the House Larry Householder. That plan calls for an additional $3 billion in spending on schools over the next biennium. The Governor's plan proposes spending $800 million and the Senate has called for spending an additional $1.3 billion over that same period.

The Householder plan does not identify sources of revenue for that dramatic increase in funding for schools. In that sense, the proposal steers clear of what the Supreme Court, in its declarations that the state funding of education is unconstitutional, called residual budgeting for schools. School advocates insist, with the Court's support, that the state should just come up with the number of dollars that are needed to adequately fund schools, budget that number, and then allocate whatever is left to other programs, such as all GRF departments and aid to local governments. Under this concept, school funding is never in budget competition with other state needs and obligations.

Aside from the sheer size of the proposed increase and the lack of details on what other state programs will be cut to fund the proposal, the plan also stirred controversy by a suggestion that the plan would be funded, in part, by the introduction of 12,800 video-gambling machines to be located at Ohio's horse racing tracks. Industry sources have estimated that such an influx of new gambling in Ohio could net up to $850 million a biennium for education.

Reaction to the plan has been mixed and loud. Schools groups have vowed to support the plan, with some declaring that adoption of the plan would end the eleven-year legal battle over funding primary and secondary schools in Ohio. Mental health advocates protested at the Statehouse that such a plan would result in large cuts to mental health programs. Most importantly, the Speaker has yet to discuss his proposal in depth with either Governor Taft or Senate President Richard Finan. Both the Governor and the President have appeared miffed, but restrained over that lack of discussion and detail about the Householder plan in their direct and indirect comments to the press. The meeting of the three to discuss school funding is scheduled to occur on Monday of the coming week.

COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF MARCH 19

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

SENATE WAYS & MEANS, After Session, South Hearing Rm., Chr. Blessing, Phone: 466-8068.
HB 9 NATURAL GAS SALES (Setzer) Subjects retail natural gas suppliers and governmental aggregators to certification by the Public Utilities Commission and makes other changes. (3rd Hearing-Possible vote)

SENATE HIGHWAYS & TRANSPORTATION, 3 p.m., Senate Finance Hearing Rm., Chr. Armbruster, Phone: 644-7613.
HB 73 TRANSPORTATION BUDGET (Buehrer) Makes appropriations for programs related to transportation and public safety for the biennium beginning July 1, 2001 and ending June 30, 2003 and provides authorization and conditions for the operation of those programs. (6th Hearing - Amendments - Possible vote)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

HOUSE LOCAL GOVERNMENT & TOWNSHIPS, 10 a.m., Rm. 121, Chr. Roman, Phone: 466-1790.
SB 5 ANNEXATION (Wachtmann) Revises the laws governing municipal annexations. (2nd Hearing - Proponent)

HOUSE RETIREMENT & AGING, 10:30 a.m., Rm. 122, Chr. Schuring, Phone: 752-2438.
HB 157 PENSION BENEFITS (Schuring) Provides that the annual cost of living increase paid to retired members and beneficiaries of Ohio's state retirement systems will be three per cent. (1st Hearing - Sponsor)

HB 158 PERS LAW ENFORCEMENT BENEFIT (Schuring) Permits Public Employees Retirement System members with at least 25 years of law enforcement service credit to retire with full benefits at age 48, includes transit and highway patrol police officers as law enforcement officers for PERS purposes, and increases the employee contribution rate for law enforcement service credit. (1st Hearing - Sponsor)

HB 84 RETIREMENT RESTRICTION (Schmidt) Prohibits an elected official from receiving a Public Employees Retirement System pension while earning a salary for the same public office and declares an emergency. (3rd Hearing - Proponent & opponent)

THURSDAY, MARCH 22

HOUSE ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT, 9:30 a.m., Rm. 114, Chr. Hollister, Phone: 644-8728.
HB 3 ENVIRONMENTAL BONDS (Blasdel) Declares it to be the public policy of the state to establish the Clean Ohio Fund for the purpose of achieving certain goals related to the protection of the environment and preservation of the state's natural resources. (4th Hearing-Proponent, opponent & interested party)