Ohio Municipal League
175 South Third Street
Suite 510
Columbus, Ohio 43215

614-221-4349 Office
614-221-4390 Fax

email:
Legislative Inquiries
John Mahoney
General Inquiries
info@omunileague.org

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OML E- BULLETIN
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OML LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN

Ohio Senate Considers Budget.

The Ohio Senate continued its work on the biennial state budget this week. During the week, state agency after state agency took their respective turns to criticize the House version of the budget for the cuts or lack of revenue growth proposed in that document. Next week is expected to be no different.

Meanwhile, comments made this week by the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee and others seem to indicate a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the Senate to include the bill that was inserted in the budget in the House that deals with public/private competition over public records. The so-called "E-Commerce" bill was added as a rider to the bill late in the House process.

As reported earlier, the bill protects the public from getting certain public records for free from a public agency, if the public already has the opportunity to pay for those records from a private vendor. We think that is a protection the public doesn’t need. We also think the whole issue of the line between the public and private sector is a very complex issue that ought to be reviewed and considered as a separate bill. Hopefully, the Senate will agree with that view and strip the e-commerce bill from the state budget.

House Committee to Hear, Possibly Vote, on Anti-Residency Bill.

HB 114 is scheduled for a fourth hearing and possible vote in the House State Government Committee next week. This bars local jurisdictions from requiring their employees to live within the jurisdiction. Requirements that employees live in the same or adjoining counties the jurisdiction would still be permitted.

This "big brother" legislation would attempt to overturn provisions in many municipal charters throughout the state. The League presented to members of the committee and sent to all members of the House a survey of just how many communities this would impact. The number of citizens who would be disenfranchised by this legislation is in the millions.

It is extremely important that members of the House hear from you now on this issue. This is not a general law, but one that simply tries to reduce the Home Rule powers of a municipality. In all cases, this bill substitutes the judgment of the General Assembly for the judgment of the voters, the council or the local collective bargaining agreement. This disregard for Home Rule, if successfully pursued, will only lead to further erosion of Home Rule in many other pieces of legislation. If the General Assembly can pass one bill that negates the votes of the citizenry in municipalities with millions of residents, what will they try to do next? Please, call your member(s) of the House today and ask them to oppose HB 114.

May 8th Midwest Audioconference: Bringing Federal Dollars Back to Cities, Families.

Municipal strategies to bring federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) dollars back to families will be showcased in an upcoming NLC audioconference on Thursday, May 8th, at 2:00 p.m.

(Central Time). Cities across the nation are discovering that even small investments in EITC outreach can yield large results. Millions of federal dollars go unclaimed every year by eligible families - but, with municipal action, that can change. This free, one-hour session is entitled "Bring Money to Your City: Promote the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit." It will assist municipal leaders in learning more about the EITC and how to help working families claim this tax credit. Participants will receive expert, action-oriented advice on how to build a local coalition and initiate a successful EITC outreach campaign. Officials from Dayton, Ohio, will describe their recent campaign efforts and share lessons learned. In addition, EITC experts from the Brookings Institution, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and the Internal Revenue Service will share vital information. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers. The call is sponsored by NLC's Institute for Youth, Education, and Families.

Registration: To register for the conference call, send your name, organization, address, phone number, and email address to Jackie Robinson by email to robinson@nlc.org (please put "May 8 EITC Call" in the subject line) or by fax to 202/626-3043. No registrations will be taken by phone. Participants will receive call-in information and registration confirmation by email. If you have additional questions, contact Abby Hughes Holsclaw at 202/626-3107 or holsclaw@nlc.org. (This informational item was prepared by Ms. Holsclaw.)