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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2008 > December > 10 > Entry
House passes “Joe the Plumber” legislation
The Ohio House today, Dec. 10, passed a bill aimed at preventing the kind of government snooping that made Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher - “Joe the Plumber” - a household word nationwide and a player in the presidential campaign.
The vote was 69-26. The bill now goes to the Senate.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, calls for firing any unclassified employee who violates privacy rules by improperly accessing confidential personal information.
It also sets criteria for determining who has access to and may authorize access to confidential, personal information.
Jones said it’s aimed at eliminating “dirt digging” on private citizens. Rep. Steve Driehaus, D-Cincinnati, said the issue was important but questioned whether the state could afford it in a tough budget time
A representative of the Department of Administrative Services estimated it could cost $100 million to implement.
Rep. Tom Brinkman, R-Cincinnati, said “in good times or bad” the privacy of citizens must be paramount.
Gov. Ted Strickland suspended Director Helen Jones-Kelley of the Ohio Job and Family Services Department for a month without pay for her role in the “Joe the Plumber” case. Four other employees were disciplined.
Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles concluded that Jones-Kelley improperly authorized the search of state databases with personal information on Wurzelbacher of suburban Toledo during the presidential campaign. He became a key figure in the Ohio campaign after questioning Democrat Barack Obama’s tax plans.
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Comments
By Ethel S.
December 11, 2008 2:44 PM | Link to this
I think that the right of every citizen to be protected from using government resources to invade a person’s private data is extremely important. And the idea that a state paid worker is wasting time taxpayer funds on a personal agenda or political purpose is particularly disturbing. Much data is available on the internet, but some private data is not. It is so important to define what is private and what is public data, who can release it, and under what conditions. One example comes to mind is if a person is mentally ill and goes through a commitment hearing in Court, does the public have the right to get those documents because it was a Court case? I applaud the legislative leaders who are willing to protect our civil right to privacy.By Kung Fu
December 11, 2008 1:25 PM | Link to this
Haiku for u - Wordell is a Giant Sore upon my buttocks That won’t go awayBy boots
December 11, 2008 12:35 AM | Link to this
Talk about jerks. Poor sportsmanship is not attractive. What really gets me is all these so-called republicans (people who really cant afford to be one) has so much of nothing to say. Get a life!!By Wordell
December 10, 2008 7:39 PM | Link to this
Hey!!! Lighten up!!! PEBO won!!! (PEBO: President Elect Barack Obama). Sucks, doesn’t it??? Well, I heard that PEBO got his Preparation “H” mixed up with his Poli-Grip. Now, he talks like an a—hole…but his gums don’t itch!!!By Tim
December 10, 2008 5:54 PM | Link to this
I’m certainly not defending the actions of Jones-Kelly, but her “snooping” did not make Joe The Plumber a household name. That had something to do with John McCain using the moniker several times during a televised debate.By Barry
December 10, 2008 4:48 PM | Link to this
if they had done the right thing and fired Jones-Kelly the day she had broken the law, or the day her criminal actions came to light, then they wouldn’t have had to try to make this law to protect us from the government. we really don’t need new laws in this case, just enforce the ones we have. but since she is a demo she is “protected”By mwm
December 10, 2008 4:32 PM | Link to this
In certain parts of ohio, one may access court records, city court records; including traffic offenses, marriage licenses, tax records, (including a picture of your house), real estate records, arrest records, what type of vehicle the individual owns or drives, what their political affiliation is and sometimes, what church they attend, where they like to shop, and much much more. One may also look at military time served plus military specialty. And for a small fee, background checks, credit checks, employment history, and much more. Also, if a person found out some information, they could do in depth study on an individual and their family. More than most people think. It’s easy and quick. And, anyone with internet access and time can do it.By Julie
December 10, 2008 4:12 PM | Link to this
If an individuals privacy was really important, you wouldn’t be able to access court records, property records, birth, marriage and divorce announcements, tax information, or obituaries on the internet.By Patty
December 10, 2008 3:31 PM | Link to this
So it’s hard to enforce laws when a government official breaks them but when an average citizen breaks a lot it is real easy to enforce. What a joke claiming it will cost 100 million to implement. This legislation wouldn’t have been needed if A. Jones-Kelly did her job and B. Governor Strickland fired her for not doing her job. Governor Strickland needs to fire all parties involved in this snooping as the first step in gaining Ohioans trust. The more our government ignores our laws the more us citizens should ignore the laws.