Consideration of State Budget Continues.

The Ohio House Finance and Appropriations Committee received subcommittee reports and heard further testimony on the state’s biennial budget this week. Next week, the budget is expected to dominate even more of the House’s attention as a substitute bill, including many subcommittee recommendations and further changes in the bill, is expected by Tuesday of that week. As you know, the League will be holding its Annual Legislative Luncheon on that same day.

Also, on that day, thousands of human service program advocates are expected to rally at the Statehouse in support of many changes they are lobbying for in the budget. It should be one very crowded Statehouse. If you are attending the League’s luncheon, you might want to give yourself a little extra time in case finding parking place takes a little longer than usual.

Some of the things that are expected to find their way into the House substitute bill, or in a later House version of the budget, include:

· A sharp reduction of the tipping fee for solid waste, which would be of some help for those municipalities which have “no fee” public collection of solid waste.

· A small fund ($3-$5 million) to provide local governments with assistance for consolidating services, something local governments have been doing on their own quite effectively for years.

· A small fund to help some of those smaller villages and townships for which local government funds make up as much as 50% of their entire budget.

· A reduction of from a 10% cut from the freeze of the last four years to 5% for villages is expected. This reduction in cuts may have some strings attached related to consolidating services.

· The cut of 20% for cities in local government funds is expected to continue, though an attempt will be made to reduce the county cuts from 20% to 10% at a cost of $30 million over the biennium. This change is usually touted as fair “because cities are more able and have more ways to raise revenues than counties do.” In all practical reality that is, of course, not the case, therefore we will get back to you whenever someone in the House publicly says what the real reason is.

· No change in the Estate Tax reduction of 15% in local revenues.

If these changes are what finally appear in the House substitute version of the budget, they are a great disappointment. They also would signal the clear intention of House leadership to never allow the local government funds to get back on formula, no matter how much growth there is in state revenue. Whether we are talking about 10% cuts or 20% cuts, at that point, the Governor and the House leadership will be saying that the seventy-year history of the local government funds as a partnership is over. Should the rest of the House and members of the Senate feel the same way, it will probably be time to think more seriously of new ways to recover the local community dollars that were promised to all Ohioans in the selling of the sales tax and the income tax in Ohio.

Call for Witnesses on Anti-Residency Bill.

SB 82 is up for an opponent hearing on Tuesday, April 12 at 2:30 or after session in the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans’ Affairs Committee. We hope many of our members who have concerns about this bill to prohibit local residency requirements will be able to testify on this important legislation.

It is clear that SB 82 will be the vehicle on this issue, so this is a very important hearing. The League has long opposed this legislation. You can visit our website (www.omunileague.org) for more information.

HB 66 BIENNIAL BUDGET (Calvert) To make operating appropriations for the biennium beginning July 1, 2005 and ending June 30, 2007, and to provide authorization and conditions for the operation of state programs. (12th Hearing-Proponent, opponent & interested party)

HB 66 BIENNIAL BUDGET (Calvert) To make operating appropriations for the biennium beginning July 1, 2005 and ending June 30, 2007, and to provide authorization and conditions for the operation of state programs. (13th Hearing-Proponent, opponent & interested party)

HB 66 BIENNIAL BUDGET (Calvert) To make operating appropriations for the biennium beginning July 1, 2005 and ending June 30, 2007, and to provide authorization and conditions for the operation of state programs. (14th Hearing-Proponent, opponent & interested party - Possible vote)

Senate Insurance, Commerce & Labor, (Chr. Hottinger, 466-5838), North Hearing Rm., 9 a.m.

SB 7 WORKERS' COMPENSATION (Cates) To direct the General Assembly in its deliberations regarding the enactment of reforms of the state's workers' compensation law. (6th Hearing - Proponent/Opponent/Interested party)

House Commerce & Labor, (Chr. Schaffer, 466-8100), Taft Rm. (formerly 122), 1:30 p.m.

HB 148 HOME CONTRACTORS (Trakas) To adopt the Home Improvement Contractor Law, establish the Home Improvement Contractor Registration Board in the Department of Commerce, establish civil and criminal penalties for violation of the law, and grant the attorney general enforcement powers. (1st Hearing - Sponsor)

Senate Finance & Financial Institutions, (Chr. Carey, 466-8156), Finance Hearing Rm., 2:30 p.m. or after session

Budget presentations from Lt. Governor Johnson, OBM Director Johnson, Tax Commissioner Wilkins & LSC's Jim Burley

Senate State & Local Government & Veterans Affairs, (Chr. Coughlin, 466-4823), Rm. 110, 2:30 p.m. or after session

SB 82 RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT (Grendell) To generally prohibit political subdivisions from imposing residency requirements on certain employees. (3rd Hearing-Opponent)

SB 86 PUBLIC EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTIVITIES (Gardner) To authorize classified employees to engage in political activities during nonworking hours, to broaden the prohibition against coercion or harassment of classified employees for political purposes, and to authorize the State Personnel Board of Review and local civil service commissions to remedy such coercion or harassment. (2nd Hearing-Proponent)

SB 119 POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS (Hagan, R.) To prohibit county elective officers and candidates for county elective office from accepting contributions from certain county employees; to prohibit municipal elective officers and candidates for municipal elective office from soliciting or accepting contributions from certain employees of the municipal corporation and to prohibit township elective officers and candidates for township elective office from soliciting or accepting contributions from certain township employees. (1st Hearing-Sponsor-Pending referral)

House Civil & Commercial Law, (Chr. Seitz, 466-8258), Hayes Rm. (formerly 114), 9:30 a.m.

HB 23 ADULT ENTERTAINMENT REGULATION (Reidelbach) To generally regulate adult entertainment establishments; to permit townships to regulate the location and operation of those establishments; to create an expedited appeal from orders, adjudications, or decisions denying an application for, or suspending or revoking, a license or permit to locate or operate such an establishment; to create an expedited appeal in any case in which a court determines there is a threat of restraint of protected expression; and to create the offense of permitting unlawful operation of viewing booths depicting sexual conduct. (7th Hearing-Proponent, opponent & interested party - Amendments & Possible vote)

Senate State & Local Government & Veterans Affairs, (Chr. Coughlin, 466-4823), South Hearing Rm., 9:30 a.m.

HB 72 WORKERS' COMPENSATION (Buehrer) To make various changes to the Workers' Compensation Law. (4th Hearing-Proponent & opponent)

House Local & Municipal Government & Urban Revitalization, (Chr. Wolpert, 466-9690), Rm. 018, 11 a.m.

HB 76 VILLAGE SOLICITORS (Trakas) To permit the electors of a statutory village to vote on a question to authorize the mayor to appoint the village solicitor with the advice and consent of the village's legislative authority. (1st Hearing - Sponsor)

HB 101 PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE (Wolpert) To create the Local Government Public Notice Task Force to study local government public notice requirements and to issue a report including recommendations for meeting those requirements in economic and efficient alternative ways. (1st Hearing - Sponsor)

Senate Finance & Financial Institutions, (Chr. Carey, 466-8156), Finance Hearing Rm., 1:30 p.m.