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Monday, March 2, 2009
Vets’ bonus proposal appears headed for ballot
A proposal to give Ohio voters the chance to approve cash bonuses for veterans of the Persian Gulf War and the continued fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan appears headed for final legislative passage on Tuesday, March 3.
If, as expected, the House approves the resolution, Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Chesterland, the original backer of the plan, said he would begin working with veterans groups and Bill Hartnett, director of the veterans’ affairs department, to lead a campaign to win passage on the Nov. 3 ballot. The Senate approved the resolution in February.
In normal economic times getting voter approval wouldn’t be a problem but with the economy in tatters, “we better make sure we spend …time making sure the message” gets out, said Grendell. He took up the cause in 2007 after the proposal first came from then state Treasurer Richard Cordray, a Democrat who’s now attorney general.
Gov. Ted Strickland does not have to sign the resolution to get it on the ballot but has indicated he supports the effort.
The plan would provide up to $100 a month - up to a maximum of $1,000 - for veterans who served in the conflicts and bonuses of $50 a month - up to a maximum of $500 - for veterans who served elsewhere during the conflicts. The state would borrow money by issuing bonds to pay for the bonuses.
Last year Strickland vetoed legislation that called for using money from the state’s “rainy day” fund to pay for the bonuses. The “rainy day” fund money now is included in Strickland’s proposed two-year budget proposal.
The state previously has approved bonds to provide cash benefits to veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, but none since then.
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TweetOn 2nd anniversary of Bluffton accident, Brown pushes motorcoach safety bill anew
Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, got as far as a hearing last year on their bill aimed at beefing up motorcoach safety.
But they ran out of time, and the legislative year ended before they could get their bill on the floor. So Monday, the two senators reintroduced the bill, which would require safety belts on motorcoaches, anti-ejection window glazing to keep passengers from being thrown through windows and crush-resistant roofs, among other safety provisions.
The bill was inspired in part by the March 2, 2007 accident of the Bluffton University baseball team, which resulted in the death of five members of the baseball team, the wife and his driver and injuries to the other 33 passengers on board.
“In the two years since the Bluffton University bus crash, it has become clear that we need motorcoach safety reform and we need it now,” Brown said. “This bipartisan legislation will help prevent bus trips from becoming tragedies.”
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TweetWhite House: Community Health Centers of Greater Dayton, other health centers get stimulus cash
Ohio will get $6.3 million for five health centers in Ohio under the economic stimulus bill passed last month, the White House announced Monday, March 3.
Among them: Community Health Centers of Greater Dayton and Rocking Horse Center in Springfield
That health centers, and others, are aimed at helping people in need, including those with no health insurance, and the money would serve 25,950 state residents and create 190 jobs, according to the White House’s release.
Money would also go to Lorain County Health and Dentistry in Lorain; Fairfield County Combined General Health District in Lancaster and Lower Light Christian Health Center, Inc. in Columbus.
The money is part of $155 million that will help 126 health centers nationwide provide health care to an estimated 750,000 low-income people.
The grants are administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration and are aimed at creating 5,500 jobs at the new health centers across the country.
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TweetAuditor Taylor: Strickland tardy in turning over records for audit
Auditor Mary Taylor on Monday, March 2, said she can’t audit the state’s books for the last fiscal year because Gov. Ted Strickland’s administration so far hasn’t turned over the necessary financial records.
Taylor, Ohio’s only Republican statewide executive officeholder, said the delay appears “unprecedented” and calls into question Democrat Strickland’s commitment to being transparent and accountable to the voters.
“How will the governor know where to go fiscally if he doesn’t know where he’s been?” Taylor asked at a press conference at her office.
The financial records she needs detail how much money the state took in, how the money was spent and how much was on hand on June 30, 2008, the end of the last fiscal year.
Taylor sent a letter to Strickland, House Speaker Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, and Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland outlining her concerns. She also sent the letter to William Shkurti, Ohio State University senior vice president and chairman of the State Audit Committee.
Strickland spokeswoman Amanda Wurst said that Strickland was “concerned about the delay and has asked the Office of Budget and Management and other agencies to pull this information together as quickly as possible.”
Taylor said she understands there have been problems with the state’s $158 million OAKS payroll and accounting system but added that her office had been able to pull the data it needed for its audit from the system.
Strickland understands that state agencies are completing their financial reporting with this system for the first time, said Wurst.
“I am aware of the burden of implementing a new accounting system, however, failing to prioritize preparation of financial statements stands in the way of a timely audit and I believe the taxpayers of Ohio deserve nothing less,” Taylor said in the letter.
The auditor also said the lack of an audit on the state’s financial condition could affect the bond rating, which determines how much it costs to borrow money.
If a school district or local government had been this tardy in providing the records, Taylor said she would have declared it “unauditable” which in some cases would have resulted in financial penalties. There is no deadline for the state to provide the financial records for the audit, she said. She said she might discuss establishing such a deadline with the legislature.
Taylor’s letter comes with the current fiscal year set to expire June 30, 2009, and the legislature now working on a new two-year budget in the midst of a major economic slowdown and decline in state revenues.
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TweetOhio National Guard to get $8.5 million in stimulus money
The Ohio National Guard will receive $8.5 million in federal stimulus money for capital improvements to 22 facilities across the state.
The money will be used for roofing and energy efficiency projects, including adding solar panels at guard facilities in Columbus, Toledo and Newton Falls.
“These projects will save the National Guard about $78,000 in utility costs within the first year of operation, and will generate about 375,000 Kilowatt hours of electricity per year,” said Maj. Gen. Gregory Wayt, the adjutant general.
The federal stimulus bill includes $266 million for roofing and energy efficiency projects at the state National Guards’ facilities.
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TweetApply to be an Ohio Senator
Persons wishing to be appointed to replace Ohio Sen. Tom Roberts, D-Dayton, should submit a letter of intent and resume to the Montgomery County Democratic Party by Friday, March 6, at 5 p.m., according to Mark Owens, party chairman.
The Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus will choose someone to replace Roberts, who is leaving his 5th District seat to become a member of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. His resignation was effective Feb. 28.
The local party will submit up to three recommendations for a replacement to the Minority Leader’s office by Friday.
Applicants must live in the Senate 5th District, which covers parts of Montgomery and Darke counties and all of Miami County.
Interested parties should contact Democratic headquarters for information. Call 222-4007.
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TweetDann case goes to Elections Commission
The Ohio Elections Commission will hear the case against former attorney general Marc Dann on Thursday, March 5, that he illegally converted campaign cash for his own personal use.
The Elections Commission isn’t moving the meeting to a larger venue so seats are expected to be filled quickly for the 10 a.m. hearing.
The five-member bipartisan commission has the power to dismiss the complaint or make findings, issue fines and refer the matter to the Franklin County prosecutor for possible criminal charges.
The complaint, filed by the secretary of state, alleges that Dann personally benefitted from $40,610 in security improvements to his Liberty Twp. home in Trumbull County that was paid for by the Dann campaign committee. The expense wasn’t related to his official duties or to influence an election, as state law requires, the complaint said.
Dann’s attorney, Donald McTigue, disagrees and says the expense wouldn’t have been needed had he not been attorney general.
The secretary of state’s office is also questioning $4,369 in cell phone bills paid directly by the campaign committee. The phones were used by Dann, his wife and their children for personal and campaign calls.
Dann, a Democrat, resigned in May after a sexual harassment scandal involving friends and neighbors he had appointed to his administration. He also admitted having an affair with a staff member 18 years his junior.
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