Ohio lawmaker confident at probation's fix's future

COLUMBUS (AP) — A lawmaker backing extensive changes to Ohio’s sentencing laws says changes in state government bode well for the new version of a bill that died last year.

The proposal by Sen. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, would impose the same sentences for crack and powder cocaine offenses and expand inmates’ ability to reduce their sentences through good behavior, among other changes.

Seitz said today that having a Republican governor in office now could persuade fellow GOP lawmakers to back the bill.

Seitz says the Ohio Chamber of Commerce has since added its support for the proposals and Ohio’s budget problems have grown worse, underscoring the need for cost-saving measures.

Identical House and Senate bills will add recommendations from a report released today that proposes probation only for first-time low-level felony offenders.