Showing posts with label United States Senate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label United States Senate. Show all posts
June is National Safety Month, and organizations across the country will be participating in events to bring attention to critical safety issues that affect us all. Because the summer months are a time of increased travel on our roads and highways as families head out on vacation and other excursions, special attention is being paid this year to safety issues such as using cell phones while driving and watching out for motorcycles.
Here in the Senate, my colleagues and I are also concerned about the safety of those traveling on Ohio’s roads, and we recently passed a bill that will help keep them safe for both motorists and public safety personnel. Senate Bill 166 would give firefighters, EMS responders and other emergency workers the ability to report traffic law violations under certain circumstances.
The idea for SB 166 came about after one of my colleagues, Senator Jim Hughes (R- Columbus), learned from some of his local first responders about the increasing number of traffic violations they encounter while they are responding to the scene of an accident or other emergency. This costs police and fire personnel precious time that could be used to provide care to accident victims or get control of a fire. Drivers that do not yield the right-of-way can even cause accidents between cars and fire or EMS vehicles.
Under SB 166, emergency personnel who witness traffic violations during the course of their duties would report the violator’s license plate number and a general description of the person and vehicle to the local law enforcement agency. If law enforcement can establish the identity of the vehicle operator, then the license plate number shall establish probable cause for the agency to issue a citation. In cases where the operator of the vehicle cannot be determined, a warning would be issued.
Ohio law currently permits school bus drivers to report cars that refuse to stop when the bus is stationary and has its lights and stop sign activated. SB 166 would extend this authority to safety personnel, helping to raise awareness of the importance of yielding to emergency vehicles when they are responding to an accident or other emergency and encourage drivers to take appropriate steps to keep our roads safe. SB 166 was passed by the Senate last month and is currently under consideration in the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.
Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have questions or concerns about any state-related matter. You can reach my office by phone at (614) 466-9737, by e-mail at SD07@senate.state.oh.us or by writing State Senator Shannon Jones, Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215. I look forward to hearing from you.
Image via WikipediaNow is the Time to Change the Way Ohio
Draws Legislative Districts
This coming year, two events will take place that will help shape the face of Ohio’s political landscape for the next decade – the 2010 census and the statewide elections this November. This is important because the results of the census will determine the number of seats Ohio will have in Congress. The number of people in each Ohio Senate and Ohio House district is also based on an equal distribution of the state’s population.
In addition, the winners of the elections for governor, auditor of state and secretary of state determine the members of the Apportionment Board, which is responsible for creating the maps of Ohio’s legislative districts every 10 years based on the results of the federal decennial census. This process is scheduled to take place next year, and both political parties have a vested interest in the outcome, as the party in power can draw maps that favor its own candidates. This system has been in place for decades and has long been criticized for promoting one-party control of state government and hyper-partisanship, with those in power having more of a say in determining who gets elected than the voters themselves.
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. The Ohio Legislature is currently considering a proposal that seeks to change the methods used to draw Congressional and legislative districts to make elections more competitive and put the power back in the hands of Ohio voters. Last year, the Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 5, which was sponsored by Senator Jon Husted (R- Kettering). SJR 5 would replace the Apportionment Board with a seven-member bipartisan redistricting commission responsible for drawing legislative districts.
The redistricting commission would be composed of the governor, auditor of state, secretary of state, the Speaker of the Ohio House, the President of the Ohio Senate, and the minority leaders from each chamber. This is different from the current makeup of the Apportionment Board, which includes only two members of the Ohio General Assembly – one from each party. To approve any new redistricting plan, a five-vote majority is required, with two of the five votes coming from the minority party. This change would ensure that any new plan is created through bipartisan cooperation and that all opinions are heard and taken into consideration.
When drawing Congressional and legislative districts, SJR 5 requires them to be compact and to keep communities together whenever possible. The plan also calls for the commission to try and maximize the number of competitive districts, eliminating the ability of drawing districts that favor one party over another, as has been the case in the past.
To help further increase transparency in the redistricting process, any Ohio resident would be able to submit a Congressional or legislative plan for consideration by the commission. Additionally, once a plan has been adopted by the commission, the members must prepare a public report detailing the methods and reasoning used to create the district maps.
Given the prominent role Ohio plays in our nation’s elections, it is imperative that the system we use to draw legislative districts be fair and balanced instead of one that rewards those in power. Other proposals to reform the redistricting process have been introduced in recent years, and I believe that now is the right time for the Legislature to take on this issue – before the census results are in and before this fall’s elections are complete. Time is of the essence, however, as SJR 5 must be passed before February 3 if it is to be placed on the May ballot for consideration by voters.
SJR 5 is currently under consideration in the House Elections and Ethics Committee, and members of the Ohio House are also working on their own redistricting proposal. I am hopeful that legislators from both chambers will come together in the coming weeks and develop a redistricting plan that is more accountable, less partisan and makes for more competitive elections.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have questions or concerns about any state-related matter. You can reach my office by phone at (614) 466-9737, by e-mail at SD07@senate.state.oh.us or by writing State Senator Shannon Jones, Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Current Congressional Health Care Proposals Don't Constitute 'Reform', Are Bad for Ohio
Like many of you, I have been following the national healthcare debate for the past several weeks, as the decisions made in Washington, D.C. will have a major impact on our state and its citizens. As legislative leaders work to reconcile the differences between the reform bills passed by House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, serious concerns are being raised about the potential costs to the states as well as proposals involving Medicaid and other health services.I, too, am troubled by the proposals currently under consideration and the effects they could have on families, businesses and our state as a whole. That is why I have introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 24, which urges the members of Ohio’s Congressional Delegation to oppose the federal healthcare bill.
While I believe that many reasons exist for Ohio’s Congressional representatives to vote against the healthcare bill, I am particularly concerned about the backroom deals that have been struck, the use of taxpayer funding for abortions as well as the high costs that could threaten Ohio’s future fiscal stability.
One of the main features of both reform bills is a requirement for states to expand Medicaid. Unfortunately, how states will pay for these additional people has not yet been determined. A publication by the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures estimates this proposed expansion of Medicaid could cost the state $349 million for calendar years 2017 through 2019, a move that could result in tax increases or severe cuts to other state programs in order to keep a balanced budget.
Ohio spent $4.5 billion in state funds in fiscal year 2008 on Medicaid – roughly 22 percent of the state money in the General Revenue Fund. Placing new Medicaid mandates on our state without covering the increased costs would place even more pressure on our budget, which is already stretched thin due to the economic challenges we are facing. The current state budget was balanced with billions of dollars in one-time funds, money that will not be available when we begin deliberations next year on the state budget for fiscal years 2012-2013. The additional costs from healthcare reform would only exacerbate this problem.
In addition, the Senate version of the bill contains what some people have termed the “Cornhusker kick-back” – a provision that would have Ohio and other states paying for Nebraska’s Medicaid enrollees to the tune of millions of extra dollars. Senator Ben Nelson from Nebraska worked out a deal where in exchange for his “yes” vote on the bill, Nebraska received a permanent exemption from the state share of Medicaid expansion, which means taxpayers from the other 49 states will be on the hook for an additional $45 million in the first decade. Nelson and Sen. Carl Levin from Michigan also worked to insert a provision in the bill that will exempt non-profit insurers in their states from an excise tax. This unequal treatment of the states when it comes to doling out federal resources is outrageous and these sweetheart deals should be removed before final passage of the bill.
The Senate version of the healthcare reform bill also contains a provision that would use taxpayer dollars to fund insurance programs that cover abortions – a change to long-standing state and federal policies. Ohioans have overwhelmingly opposed the use of tax dollars to fund abortions in the past – a study by Ohio Right to Life found that 70 percent of Ohioans agree that their tax dollars should not be used to pay for abortions. It is my hope that legislative leaders will recognize this and remove this language from the bill.
The bottom line is this, the proposals currently under consideration by the Congress are not reform at all, and states such as Ohio could be saddled with tax increases and burdensome mandates as a result. Senate Concurrent Resolution 24 sends a message to those in Congress that they should delay a vote until changes are made that will bring about true reforms.
I would encourage everyone who cares about the future of health care in our country to contact their representatives in Congress and voice their opinions about the proposals under consideration. You can find contact information for your Congressperson or U.S. Senator by going to www.house.gov or www.senate.gov.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 24 has been assigned to the Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee, and I will be sure to keep you updated on its progress through the Legislature. As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have questions or concerns about any state-related matter. You can reach my office by phone at (614) 466-9737, by e-mail at SD07@senate.state.oh.us or by writing State Senator Shannon Jones, Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215. I look forward to hearing from you.
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