Lawmakers facing a full plate of issues

COLUMBUS — It seems like only yesterday that lawmakers were mumbling and grumbling about the state of Ohio’s economy, about the need to do more to protect existing jobs and create new ones and about the likelihood that budget crunches will continue for biennia to come.

Actually, it was only yesterday, but that’s besides the point. In July, after a slightly extended opening session of the 128th General Assembly, lawmakers left capital city for a long summer break.

They return to the Statehouse to face continued economic doldrums, plus a new slate of hot-button issues that will prompt partisan bickering (but likely no shouts of “You Lie!” across the political aisles).

Here are a few of the issues that will take center stage in coming months:

U Gay discrimination: The House is poised to act on legislation that would ban discrimination by landlords and businesses against residents and employees based on their sexual orientation.

House Bill 176 is sponsored by Reps. Dan Stewart, a Democrat from the Columbus area, and Ross McGregor, a Republican from Springfield. It would prohibit discrimination based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity and expression — comparable to protections already in place for age, race and religious affiliation.

Similar bills have been introduced at the Statehouse in past sessions, but none have made it through the committee process.

The Democrat-controlled House likely will pass the bill. The Republican-controlled Senate likely will not.

UCampaign finance reform: Lawmakers likely will start discussions on a couple of issues related to contributions to political campaigns.

One involves limiting contributions from individuals with ties to video lottery terminals, if the so-called slots really do end up in operation at Ohio’s horse racing tracks.

The other, introduced by House Minority Leader Bill Batchelder, a Republican from Medina, would prohibit county office holders from accepting contributions from their employees.

UTexting ban: More than half a dozen bills were introduced during the summer break to ban texting and/or talking on cell phones while driving.

There appears to be widespread support for the texting ban, setting the stage for a debate on whether the offense would be primary or secondary in nature. The former would mean law enforcement could pull a motorist over and issue a citation for the offense. In the latter, law enforcement could not pull over a motorist for texting alone.

URedistricting: The Republican head of the Ohio Senate is supporting an effort to change the way the state draws its legislative districts.

Sen. Bill Harris, a Republican from Ashland, said a joint resolution offered by Sen. Jon Husted, a Republican from Kettering, will receive his chamber’s attention in coming weeks.

The process currently is overseen by a state board that meets every 10 years to redraw legislative districts, based on updated census statistics. The state constitution sets membership of the board to include the governor, state auditor, secretary of state and single majority and minority members of the Ohio House and Senate.

Under Husted’s proposal, redistricting would be overseen by a seven-member commission, with four members selected by the majority and minority leaders of the state Senate and House and three others selected via a unanimous vote of the original four.

Members cannot hold state or federal public offices nor be candidates for elected office for the decade when the redistricting plan would be in effect.

The constitutional amendment would require voter approval.

X Marc Kovac is The Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at Ohio Capital Blog.