Work to do before the break
COLUMBUS
Lawmakers likely will return to the Statehouse later this month for a couple of session days, finishing up work on bills that didn’t make it through the process before Memorial Day.
The holiday weekend was supposed to mark the end of the session before the legislature broke for a busy and contentious summer campaign season, in advance of the November general election.
And the Ohio House and Senate pushed through a lot of bills during the month of May — Gov. John Kasich’s mid-biennium budget, fracking-related energy policy, Great Lakes Compact-related water use limits, prohibitions on the private ownership of dangerous wild animals and a ban on texting while driving.
In total, lawmakers sent more than 20 bills to Kasich for his signature. Here’s a rundown on what some of those bills will do:
Senate Bill 202: Provides some protections for property owners against injuries suffered by trespassers.
SB 245: Requires increased consumer protection training for used car dealers.
SB 275: Transfers state-owned properties to local governments, including a parcel long used by the city of Defiance.
SB 302: Requires criminal background checks for individuals seeking solid, hazardous and infectious waste permits.
House Bill 207: Designates the first week of April as Ohio Coal Miners Week.
HB 244: Allows paramedics to give flu shots to firefighters and other emergency responders.
HB 326: Increases criminal penalties against public offices that use public funds for political campaigns.
HB 327: Enables the Ohio Tax Credit Authority to grant job creation tax credits for companies that have employees who work at home.
HB 491: Designates June as Ohio Wines Month.
What’s Left?
Lawmakers are still debating a couple of education-related bills.
One focuses on Cleveland and is aimed at rewarding high-performing schools, closing down schools that are failing, with revamped rules for teacher evaluations, a centralized administration setup and other changes.
There’s bipartisan support for the legislation, following an announcement by Kasich, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and Democratic and Republican state lawmakers.
The other is more contentious — Kasich’s mid-biennium review education policy changes.
The governor wants a tough third-grade reading guarantee and a new A-F grading system for schools to replace existing performance evaluation labels, among other provisions.
The Ohio House and Senate passed different versions of the legislation but have not yet taken final action on it.
We the People
Tea Party and like-minded groups have announced their second We the People Convention ( www.WethePeopleConvention.org), set for June 29 and 30 at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus.
Speakers this year will include Wall Street Journal columnist Jon Fund, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey and FreedomWorks President and Chief Executive Officer Matt Kibbe, according to a recent release from organizers.
“The importance of the 2012 election has conservatives excited to learn about the important issues facing our state and nation and they are anxious to get organized at the convention to elect conservative candidates at all levels of government,” convention President Tom Zawistowski said in a released statement.
Marc Kovac is The Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. Email him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.