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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2009 > June > 17
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Turner brings Democratic congresswoman to tears
….But they’re happy tears, so no worries.
Here’s a video of U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, startling fellow lawmaker U.S. Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., with an unexpected amendment honoring her service on the House Armed Services Committee.
Tauscher, who was clearly touched by the amendment, has been nominated Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
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Gay rights bill clears hurdle
A civil rights bill to protect gays from discrimination passed out of a House committee on Wednesday, June 17, by an 8-5 vote, according to Equality Ohio.
House Bill 176, co-sponsored by state Reps. Ross McGregor, R-Springfield, and Dan Stewart, D-Columbus, would prohibit housing or employment discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Equality Ohio Executive Director Lynne Bowman said the vote marks the first time in Ohio history that a gay rights bill has gotten a vote in the General Assembly.
“With their passage of this legislation, the members of the (House) State Government (Committee) sent a clear message today,” Bowman said. “Discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity will not be tolerated in Ohio, regardless of where a person lives, works or plays.”
The bill now moves to the House for a full vote, which has yet to be scheduled.
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House bans campus credit card marketing
Credit card marketing activities on the campuses of Ohio’s public and private universities would be prohibited under legislative approved Wednesday, June 17, by the Ohio House.
The vote on House Bill 12 was 59-25. It now goes to the Senate.
Students get taken advantage of, said Rep. Matt Lundy, D-Elyria, the bill’s sponsor.
“The playing field is grossly uneven,” said Lundy.
Rep. Bill Coley, a Republican from Liberty Township in Butler County, disagreed that the prohibition is needed.
“We do not need to infringe more on freedom,” said Coley.
Wright State University has not permitted credit card vendors on campus for several years, said spokeswoman Stephanie Ely. The ban is to protect students, Ely said.
At the University of Dayton, the only credit cards that can be marketed on campus are those with UD’s name on them, said spokeswoman Teri Rizvi.
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Brown “open-minded” about nuclear power plant, wants more details
When a coalition of energy companies meet in Ohio Thursday, June 18, to announce plans to build a nuclear power plant in Pike County, Sen. Sherrod Brown will be absent.
It’s not that Brown, D-Ohio, wasn’t aware of the plant. It’s just he’s holding out on approval until he knows more.
“I want to look at what are the specifics of what they’re doing,” he said. “I’m always interested in economic development, of course, and I want to listen to what local residents say and see plans for the facility…I want to know more.”
He said 20 years ago, he was “not at all” convinced that nuclear energy was safe, but today characterizes himself as “open-minded” about it.
“I think they’ve made major strides,” he said. “I’m not 100 percent sold but I want to see what they’re doing.”
Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Loveland and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland plan to be at a 10 a.m. press event Thursday announcing plans to build a nuclear power plant at the site of the Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon.
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Bipartisan House bill aims at cutting “red tape”
With unemployment soaring and jobs leaving, Democrats and Republicans in the Ohio House have joined forces to cut red tape for businesses.
House Speaker Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, on Wednesday, June 18, announced that a bipartisan regulatory reform bill is being introduced with support from business.
Reps. Mike Moran, D-Hudson, and Jim Zehringer, are the sponsors, Budish said in a press release. The bill would streamline regulatory oversight and the process of making state rules that affect businesses. It also would encourage transparency and communication to make sure rules aren’t duplicative or burdensome.
The bill would expand the Ohio EPA’s compliance assistance program for small businesses and create the Ohio Small Business Roundtable to improve communication. It also would establish an ombudsman in each state agency to help solve problems for businesses.
“The success of Ohio’s economy is tied to the success of Ohio businesses, and when entrepreneurs are given a chance to compete, Ohio prospers,” John Mahaney, longt-time president of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, said in a press release.
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Supreme Court rejects Morgan mediation request
State Rep. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, will have to continue his efforts to learn more about Gov. Ted Strickland’s “evidence-based” model for reforming education without the help of the Ohio Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday, June 17, denied Morgan’s request for mediation in Morgan’s efforts to get public documents from Strickland relating to the plan. Strickland already has turned over many documents.
Morgan said in a press release that he was not surprised.
“Since I filed the motion for mediation on April 29 and sent another letter threatening more action because of unresponsiveness, Gov. Strickland’s office turned over more documents in a ‘final’ release and declared that he has finished and fully complied with my public records request,” Morgan said in the press release.
He said that he would continue to work with Strickland’ s office to resolve what he called “inconsistencies.”
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Bare chested Lee Fisher hits YouTube
Check out 44 seconds of your Ohio lieutenant governor shirtless on YouTube! Click here.
That’s right folks. A clip of a hairy-chested Lee Fisher sitting in front of a laptop now has nearly 60 hits on YouTube. In the video, Fisher worries about being filmed late at night when he’s exhausted but he doesn’t mention any concerns about being caught on tape shirtless.
The footage comes from ‘Swing State,’ a documentary co-directed by Fisher’s son during the 2006 campaign. It was posted on YouTube by RightOhio.com, a conservative blog run by Matt Naugle.
Fisher, 57, is now campaigning for the Democratic party’s nomination for U.S. Senate against Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
So will Brunner be shown partially clad in video clips any time soon?
“I don’t think so. Not at all,” said Brunner campaign spokeswoman Pia Brady.
