Ohio lawmakers weighing renewal of job-creation program

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio lawmakers are trying to determine the best amount to ask voters to approve for one of the state’s most reliable job-creation engines, known as the Third Frontier program.

If their renewal request is too little, the high-tech grant program may fall short in its effort to reverse soaring unemployment in a state where the jobless rate stands at 10.9 percent. But, if lawmakers ask for too much, cash-strapped Ohioans might reject the request.

A committee of the Ohio House and Senate scheduled a vote today in hopes of meeting Wednesday’s deadline to get the proposal on the May 4 ballot.

The committee must strike a compromise between three numbers: the $1 billion Gov. Ted Strickland has urged, the $950 million approved by the Democratic-led House, and the $500 million approved by the Republican-led Senate.