|
|
|
Ohio Municipal League email:
Also please include a phone number and/or address for instances when we need
further contact with you. Please type
“OML Inquiry” in subject line so that we can identify e-mails picked up as spam. |
Ohio Municipal League Legislative Bulletin No. 7 February 22, 2002 PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS BULLETIN TO YOUR COUNCIL, DEPARTMENT HEADS & STAFF Filing Deadline Gives Shape to 2002 Elections. Filing deadline for all seeking party nominations for statewide, Congressional, Legislative and local races was on Thursday of this week. Filings for the statewide offices were pretty much as expected with no significant primary races. Governor Taft filed for reelection, along with his running mate, Columbus Councilmember Jennette Bradley. Former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan and his running mate, Columbus Councilmember Charleta Tavares filed as the leads on the Democratic ticket. Taft's current Lieutenant Governor, Maureen O'Connor filed for a seat on the Supreme Court, which is an open seat because of the mandatory retirement of Justice Andy Douglas. Democrat Tim Black, a Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge filed for the same seat. In her bid for reelection, Republican Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton will face Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Janet Burnside in the fall. The rest of the Republican ticket will include: State Auditor Jim Petro for Attorney General, Attorney General Betty Montgomery for State Auditor and reelection bids by Secretary of State Ken Blackwell and State Treasurer Joe Deters. For the Democrats, State Senator Leigh Herrington will vie for the A.G. post. Former Cleveland Councilmember Helen Smith will run for State Auditor. Mary Boyle, the former Cuyahoga County Commissioner who has twice sought the U.S. Senate seat for Democrats, will seek the State Treasurer's job. State Representative Brian Flannery will be the Democrat nominee for Secretary of State. HB 426 on Eminent Domain Passes House. HB 426, which makes some significant changes in the state's eminent domain law passed the House this week. While the bill does not include all the changes sought by the League, the bill is an improvement over its introduced version and better than proposals in this area of law that we have faced in the last two sessions of the General Assembly. However, we will continue to talk to the sponsor and to members of the Senate about a couple of additional changes we would like to see in this legislation. If you are interested in the House-passed version of this bill, please, let us know and we will make sure you get a copy of this important legislation. House Seats Mason. The Ohio House this week seated Larry Mason to replace Peter Lawson Jones. Peter left the House to take a seat on the Cuyahoga County Commission, a seat which became available when Jane Campbell left the Commission to become Mayor of Cleveland. We congratulate State Representative Mason, though we will miss Commissioner Jones, who has always been a good friend of the League. Misdemeanor Sentencing–Mayors Court Nestled in amongst the 536 pages of HB 490 (Latta, McGregor, Seitz, Fessler) is a proposed new reporting requirement for Mayors holding Mayors Court. HB 490 is a bill to implement the recommendations of the Criminal Sentencing Commission pertaining to misdemeanor sentencing. The new provision would require the Mayor to register annually with the Ohio Supreme Court and to report to them quarterly cases filed, pending and terminated. Additional reports to BCI of all convictions for offenses that are misdemeanors on a first offense and a felony on any subsequent offense, would also be required. COMMITTEE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF FEBRUARY 25, 2002 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26 Senate Insurance, Commerce & Labor, 10 a.m., North Hearing Rm., Chr. Nein, Phone: 466-8072. SB 236 DESIGN-BUILD USAGE (Coughlin) Permits public authorities to use design-build firms in the construction of public improvements and establishes a two-phase procedure for selecting those firms. (1st Hearing - Sponsor) SB 233 CONDOMINIUM LAW (Spada) Revises the Ohio Condominium Law. (2nd Hearing - Interested party) Senate Highways & Transportation, After 1:30 p.m. session, North Hearing Rm., Chr. Armbruster, Phone: 644-7613. SB 231 MOBILITY DEVICES (Goodman) Exempts electric personal assistive mobility devices from the definition of "vehicle" in the traffic laws and permits their operation on sidewalks, bikeways and public streets and highways, subject to certain restrictions. (2nd Hearing - Proponent) House Criminal Justice, 2 p.m., Rm. 114, Chr. Womer Benjamin, Phone: 466-2004. HB 490 MISDEMEANOR SENTENCING (Latta) Implements recommendations of the Criminal Sentencing Commission pertaining to misdemeanor sentencing generally and makes other changes in the criminal law. (2nd Hearing - Proponent) SB 184 TERRORISM (Spada) Creates the offenses of terrorism; soliciting or providing support for an act of terrorism, soliciting of providing support for an act of terrorism; making a terroristic threat and hindering prosecution of terrorism and declares an emergency. (3rd Hearing - Proponent, opponent & interested party) WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27 House Civil & Commercial Law, 9:30 a.m., Rm. 114, Chr. Willamowski, Phone: 466-9624. HB 303 FIREARM OWNERSHIP (Young) Generally authorizes any person to own, possess, purchase, otherwise acquire, transport, carry, sell or otherwise transfer a firearm, a component of a firearm, or ammunition for a firearm. (3rd Hearing - Proponent, opponent & interested party) House Local Government & Townships, 10 a.m., Rm. 121, Chr. Roman, Phone: 466-1790. SB 106 SCHOOL SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY (Hottinger) Includes as a governmental function under the Political Subdivision Sovereign Immunity Law certain school facilities. (5th Hearing - Proponent, opponent & interested party) Senate Health, Human Services & Aging, After 1:30 p.m. session, North Hearing Rm., Chr. Wachtmann, Phone: 466-8150. SB 191 MR/DD FACILITIES (Spada) Revises the law governing the licensure of residential facilities for individuals with mental retardation or other development disability. (3rd Hearing - Opponent only) |
