2nd temp budget on its way in Ohio

COLUMBUS (AP) — The GOP-controlled Ohio Senate plans to have hearings on Gov. Ted Strickland’s proposal to put slot machines at race tracks to help fill a $3.2 billion budget deficit.

Senate President Bill Harris said today that a panel of five senators will begin hearings Thursday. Meanwhile, the Ohio House is slated to vote on a second 7-day budget to give lawmakers more time to reach a compromise for the two-year budget period that started Wednesday.

Strickland, a Democrat, says his gambling proposal would raise about $933 million. The Senate has rejected the plan without offering an alternative.

Harris says the hearings will help answer how the governor arrived at the revenue estimate and what would happen to school funding if revenue falls short.