House passes spending bill

By Marc Kovac | July 1, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (D-Lisbon)

COLUMBUS — The Ohio House passed a continuing resolution enabling state spending over the next seven days and introduced legislation that would extend their budget negotiations by seven more, if needed.

And House Democrats lashed out at Senate Republicans for refusing to allow legislative action on Gov. Ted Strickland’s plan to put slot machines at horse-racing tracks, a major stumbling block in negotiations.

“We have a balanced budget plan,” House Speaker Armond Budish told Statehouse reporters Tuesday. “We have worked with the administration, we have worked with the Senate. We believe that there is a good plan that can be passed today. But, unfortunately, the Senate is refusing to authorize a key part of the plan which generates over $900 million of revenue.”

He added, “The Senate’s rejection has put us in the spot we are today with the continuing resolution. I believe it’s now the Senate’s responsibility to come forward with an alternative.”

The House overwhelmingly passed the continuing resolution, included as an amendment in a noncontroversial appropriations bill for the state industrial commission. It had to be in place by today, the start of the new fiscal year.

The bill passed by a vote of 94-2. Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, a Republican from Napoleon, was one of those in opposition.

“A ‘yes’ would have just been an OK of the continuing legacy of this governor of incompetent management of state government and finances,” he said.

Wachtmann added that he would be a definitive “no” on the final bill if it includes the governor’s proposal to allow slots at horse-racing tracks.

“The voters have spoken what, four times?” he said, referring to gambling proposals that have failed at the ballot box in recent years.