Local economic development specialists want Gov. Kasich to officially reverse a Strickland-era policy that required developers pay union-scale wages on projects benefiting from public funding. 

During a presentation to the Senate Ways & Means & Economic Development Committee Thursday, Ohio Economic Development Association officers said the new administration should clarify how prevailing wage law applies to privately funded portions of a project. 

Although the Strickland Administration essentially backed off its 2008 guidelines applying prevailing wage requirements to any project involving both public and private funding, the word hasn’t gotten out, said OEDA Vice President Chris Strayer, development director for Canal Winchester. 

“A lot of site selectors have crossed Ohio off their list because there’s no clarity on that,” he said, suggesting Gov. Kasich issue an executive order to publicize the fact that private projects are no longer subject to prevailing wage.

The Strickland Administration had said new guidelines were necessary to clarify prevailing wage law because it was being applied inconsistently across the state. However, after the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the law applies only to work performed directly on a public improvement project, the administration reversed course. 

Dennis Ginty, spokesman for the Department of Commerce, which enforces prevailing wage law, said the agency was applying the requirements on a case-by-case basis, while taking into account the Supreme Court ruling.  DOC has not taken steps to publicize the current policy, he said. 

Mr. Strayer said local economic development officials still had a hard time getting business relocation consultants to consider Ohio locations because of the policy change.  “We’re still fighting a battle with the national site selectors saying, ‘It’s back to the way it was before,’” he said, adding the response often amounts to: “Well, you guys might change your mind.”

In presenting several policy recommendations Mr. Strayer, along with OEDA President Jamie Beier Grant, also recommended lawmakers create a $1 billion Great Lakes Angel Fund to help transition emerging companies from the early stages to production. While the Third Frontier Program is effective in fostering new technologies, Ohio lacks resources to advance enterprising ideas, he said.  “We lose a lot of these companies that we probably don’t even know we have,” he said, adding the emerging companies usually move to places like Silicon Valley, where more angel funding is available.

Mr. Strayer said the funding could come, in part, as a loan from pension funds.

MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2011  02:51 AM

BY JIM WEIKER

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

DispatchPolitics

• DispatchPolitics.com
  Complete coverage of Ohio politics
• The Daily Briefing
  The Dispatch’s public affairs team sates the appetites of political junkies with bite-sized portions of the news and what’s behind it.
• Buckeye Forum
  Veteran political reporters examine Ohio politics in this weekly podcast.

Today’s political news

• Ohio Turnpike takes in record tolls in 2010
• GOP’s watchdog promises savings
• 9/11 health bill signed by vacationing Obama
• Ohio homebuilders fight tougher code
• Family is key to new judge’s success
• Budget not sole issue facing Ohio legislators
• Boehner to promise new routine in House

omes built this year in Michigan and Pennsylvania will be more energy-efficient – and more costly – than those built in Ohio, as those states enact building codes that have remained in committees for almost two years in Ohio.

Ohio homebuilders have opposed the codes, which are based on the International Code Council models, on the grounds that they would add significantly to the price of a new home at exactly the wrong time. Several new construction codes are on the table, including a new residential code, but the biggest lightning rod has been the council’s proposed energy-conservation code.

“We think the code is very short-sighted,” said Vincent Squillace, executive vice president of the Ohio Home Builders Association. “Why, in the middle of a three- or four-year depression, would you cause a financial impact on the homebuying public?”

According to an analysis done for the association, the energy code’s recommendations could add up to $2,500 to the cost of a central Ohio home and take more than 20 years to pay off in utility savings.

Proponents of the energy code, which is backed by a large coalition of consumer, environmental, conservation and civic groups including the League of Women Voters and the NAACP, dispute those figures.

According to a study done on behalf of the code’s advocates, the changes could add about $800 to the cost of a typical new home and save a homeowner more than $200 a year in utility costs, leaving a four-year payback.

“We’re requiring our utilities to use 21st-century technology, and our manufacturers and car makers,” said Jennifer Miller, the conservation coordinator with the Ohio chapter of the Sierra Club, which has been active in organizing support for the proposed code. “It’s really time we bring our homes up to the same standards, too.”

Besides Michigan and Pennsylvania, the council codes have been adopted by Illinois and Iowa and are under consideration in Kentucky and Indiana.

“All around us, states are updating their codes to protect consumers and to protect the environment, and Ohio has just paused,” Miller said.

The codes have been under discussion since early 2009, when the International Code Council, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, drafted model codes for states to consider.

One of the proposed residential code’s most controversial provisions would have required sprinkler systems in new homes to protect against fire. That provision is almost certain to be scratched from any final Ohio code, as it has been in other states, say those involved in the process.

The most contentious remaining recommendations are found in the energy code. Among them: raising the R-value insulation requirement for exterior walls from R-13 to R-20 and basement walls from R-5 to R-10. (A different set of recommendations would apply to southern Ohio counties because of their different climate.)

The code also recommends that at least half the light bulbs in new homes be high-efficiency such as compact fluorescent bulbs; that homes meet an air-tightness standard that could include a blower-door test; and that air ducts be sealed if they are in nonheated spaces such as attics or crawl spaces.

One of builders’ biggest fears is that increasing exterior wall insulation would force them to construct 2-by-6 walls instead of the more common 2-by-4 walls.

That fear is unwarranted, said Isaac Elnecave, a senior policy manager with the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance who has testified on behalf of the energy code. Elnecave said builders can avoid putting in thicker walls if they cover the outside of the building with a layer of foam insulation.

In addition, code review committees are exploring different approaches to greater efficiency that might eliminate a minimum

R-value, said Regina Hanshaw, the executive secretary of Ohio’s Board of Building Standards, which is responsible for the state’s building codes.

“The energy subcommittee is looking at adopting the (energy provisions) as a whole but is also looking at stakeholders to see if they can develop an alternative path that might be as energy-efficient,” Hanshaw said.

Much of the two-year debate has focused on details of that alternative path. After much jockeying, the Board of Building Standards came close to approving a set of codes in November 2009 but shelved it with instructions from Gov. Ted Strickland’s office to review the codes’ “potential impact on the state’s struggling economy,” according to a board memo.

Hanshaw said she expects a code to be adopted in 2011. The state must adopt more-energy-efficient building codes sometime in the next eight years to live up to its end of a bargain with the federal government that allowed the state to begin receiving $96 million in energy-related federal stimulus funds.

Squillace said the homebuilders’ association will continue to oppose new codes, setting the stage for a lobbying battle in the new year.

“There is no reason to change the code,” he said. “If you keep everything in place, you’ll be able to keep some housing affordability.”

Proponents of the changes say that although they understand the builders’ concerns, they will likewise push to adopt the tougher codes.

“There’s a lot of good reasons to do this, both environmental and economic,” Elnecave said. “If you have energy-efficient building codes, homeowners make out well because they’re saving energy and money.”

jweiker@dispatch.com

ShareThis

SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2011  03:01 AM 

BY JIM SIEGEL AND DARREL ROWL

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

PATRICK KASTNER | DISPATCH

Try it yourself

The Dispatch has created an interactive online exercise that lets readers attempt to balance Ohio’s next budget. Users can make any or all of 34 policy choices, then see the results.

Try your hand at balancing the state budget

DispatchPolitics

• DispatchPolitics.com
  Complete coverage of Ohio politics
• The Daily Briefing
  The Dispatch’s public affairs team sates the appetites of political junkies with bite-sized portions of the news and what’s behind it.
• Buckeye Forum
  Veteran political reporters examine Ohio politics in this weekly podcast.

Today’s political news

• Ohio Turnpike takes in record tolls in 2010
• GOP’s watchdog promises savings
• 9/11 health bill signed by vacationing Obama
• Ohio homebuilders fight tougher code
• Family is key to new judge’s success
• Budget not sole issue facing Ohio legislators
• Boehner to promise new routine in House

8,000,000,000.

We’re not used to seeing Ohio’s probable state budget shortfall for the next two years written out that way, with all the zeros.

Perhaps it somehow better conveys the enormity of the task facing the administration of incoming Gov. John Kasich and the state legislature, which will be controlled by Kasich’s fellow Republicans.

Maybe Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor could help solve the problem. He sold his 2008 Big Ten championship ring, 2009 Fiesta Bowl sportsmanship award and 2008 gold pants trinket for beating Michigan and now must repay $2,500.

‘Course, he’d have to repeat his deeds 3.2 million times to come up with the necessary cash.

OK, let’s think bigger: Put a super-surcharge on fans attending next season’s revenge game against Wisconsin of, say, a mere $75,000 apiece.

Still wouldn’t be enough.

All right, let’s talk about more realistic options – althoughrealistic may be in the eye of the beholder.

Firing every state employee would get you more than half of the way there, but not much more. About 85 percent of state general revenue funds (money from state taxes and some matching federal dollars) are passed through to local boards, agencies and governmental entities. That means major cuts to “state” government actually wind up reducing funding to schools, cities, universities, counties and townships, most of which have their own fiscal woes.

Raising the state sales tax from 5.5 cents on the dollar to 8 cents, a 45 percent jump, would bring in about $6.5 billion. Wiping out the 2005 income-tax cut (21 percent), could mean about $4.3 billion. Majority Republicans likely would argue that either option would devastate the state.

Ohio charges many dozens of fees for various licenses and services, and nearly all of them could be raised to some degree. Ohio also gives away more than $7 billion in tax exemptions, credits and deductions that could be eliminated or reduced.

But Kasich and a number of Republican lawmakers have signed a national no-tax pledge that covers not only taxes, but also fees. Under the pledge, some could be raised, but others must be lowered so there is no net increase. However, some veteran legislative Republicans are quietly questioning whether the budget can really balance without more revenue, and there seems to be a growing expectation that Kasich will violate the no-new-fees portion of the pledge.

There are other ways to pick up more money. Selling state buildings could provide a quick cash infusion, but would cost Ohio more in the future for lease payments. Selling the Ohio Turnpike could also mean major up-front cash, but doing so could also have ramifications and would be difficult to pass over objections from a host of lawmakers from both parties across northern Ohio.

In mid-March, Kasich and his team may unveil some truly unique ways to balance the 2012-13 budget, including perhaps combining and privatizing state functions.

So what is the $8 billion shortfall anyway? Simply put, it is roughly the amount the state is lacking if it wants to continue to providing the same services it provides today for the next two years, starting July 1.

No one can pinpoint the exact budget shortfall because there are too many unknown factors, including the estimated tax-revenue growth, some future costs, whether Congress plans to help again, and just what state leaders want government to look like when they’re done. But most experts agree $8 billion is a good place to start the conversation, and some say it’s more like $10 billion when such factors as the state’s debt on unemployment compensation is included.

The current two-year budget is balanced with about $8.7 billion in one-time money that is not expected to be available again. More than $5 billion is from the federal stimulus package that, depending on one’s perspective, either saved Ohio and most other states from potentially devastating cuts, or simply put off tough decisions for two years.

Despite what you may have heard during the campaign this fall, there is no way state leaders can save billions simply by “trimming fat” or “enacting efficiencies” that won’t be noticed. Experts will tell you that most of the low- and even medium-hanging fruit has already been harvested to balance the current budget, which suffered from an unprecedented drop in tax revenue.

Rather, state leaders will soon learn a political truism: Talking about cutting the budget is easier than actually cutting it. Perhaps that is why nearly every prior state budget crisis was at least partially fixed with tax increases, regardless of which party was in charge.

So you want to cut? Eliminating all tax funding for a dozen state agencies – including the departments of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Development, Veterans Services and Youth Services (juvenile prisons) – saves about $3.4 billion, less than half the shortfall.

Republicans have talked about significantly reducing the number of state agencies, which might save money long term. But significant savings in the first two years are far less likely.

Cutting Medicaid, which makes up about 40 percent of the state general revenue fund, is ugly because it eliminates about $2 in federal money for every $1 in state cuts. In addition to hitting Ohio’s poorest and most fragile citizens, cuts also can hurt hospitals, doctors, nursing homes and others in the health-care industry.

Deep cuts to grades K-12 education would force further reductions in teachers and programs and likely send property taxes upward, leaving Ohio’s overall tax burden worse.

Major cuts to universities could trigger huge tuition increases, which could be considered tax increases on the middle class.

Ohio’s prisons are already overcrowded, and while there have been recent proposals to move nonviolent prisoners to community programs, the short-term savings are about $50 million over two years. And some lawmakers are nervous about constituents’ reactions to freeing criminals.

Ohio sends more than $1 billion a year directly to local governments and libraries, making it a tempting cut. But libraries have an amazing ability to organize their patrons to fight cuts. For cities and villages, most of that state money pays for police and fire protection.

While groups including Greater Ohio and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce have recently recommended major changes to the state’s 19 {+t}{+h} century system of local governments, even if local officials pledge to consolidate and become more efficient, such moves take time to see big savings.

And finally, the state pays 12.5 percent of every local property tax levy approved by voters. This is a huge, growing expense for the state ($1.7 billion a year). But while most homeowners are likely unaware that the state is picking up one-eighth of their property tax bill, they are sure to notice if the state stops doing it.

jsiegel@dispatch.com

drowland@dispatch.com

President-elect of the Senate Tom Niehaus and Speaker-elect of the House Bill Batchleder announced the sched- ule for the first half of 2011. Unless otherwise notified, Senate sessions start at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 11 a.m. on Thursdays while the House meets at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays; 1:30 p.m. on Wednes- days; and 1 p.m. on Thursdays. Dates are subject to change.

January Saturday, January 1 – New Year’s Day

Monday, January 3 – 129th General Assembly convenes 1:30 p.m. Senate meets 2 p.m. House meets 4:30 p.m. Joint Session for canvassing of vote

Monday, January 10 – Inauguration of Governor, Other Statewide Offices

Tuesday, January 11 – Sessions

Monday, January 17 – Martin Luther King Day (State Offices closed)

Tuesday, January 18 – Committee Hearings Wednesday, January 19 – Committee Hearings Thursday, January 20 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, January 25 – Committee Hearings Wednesday, January 26 – Committee Hearings Thursday, January 27 – Committee Hearings

February

Tuesday, February 1 – Sessions Wednesday, February 2 – Sessions Thursday, February 3 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, February 8 – Sessions Wednesday, February 9 – Committee Hearings Thursday, February 10 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, February 15 – Sessions Wednesday, February 16 – Sessions Thursday, February 17 – Committee Hearings

Monday, February 21 – Presidents’ Day (State Offices closed)

Tuesday, February 22 – Committee Hearings Wednesday, February 23 – Sessions Thursday, February 24 – Committee Hearings

March

Tuesday, March 1 – Sessions Wednesday, March 2 – Sessions Thursday, March 3 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, March 8 – Sessions Wednesday, March 9 – Sessions Thursday, March 10 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, March 15 – Sessions

Gov. Kasich’s FY12-13 Budget Due to Legislature

Wednesday, March 16 – Sessions Thursday, March 17 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, March 22 – Sessions Wednesday, March 23 – Sessions Thursday, March 24 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, March 29 – Sessions Wednesday, March 30 – Sessions Thursday, March 31 – Committee Hearings

April

Tuesday, April 5 – Sessions Wednesday, April 6 – Sessions Thursday, April 7 – Sessions (if needed)

Tuesday, April 12 – Sessions Wednesday, April 13 – Sessions Thursday, April 14 – Sessions (if needed)

April 18 – April 29 – Spring Break 

May

Tuesday, May 3 -Sessions

Primary Election

Wednesday, May 4 – Sessions Thursday, May 5 – Sessions (if needed)

Tuesday, May 10 – Sessions Wednesday, May 11 – Sessions Thursday, May 12 – Sessions (if needed)

Tuesday, May 17 – Sessions Wednesday, May 18 – Sessions Thursday, May 19- Committee Hearings

Tuesday, May 24 – Sessions Wednesday, May 25 – Sessions Thursday, May 26 – Committee Hearings

Monday, May 30 – Memorial Day (State Offices closed) 

June

Wednesday, June 1 – Sessions Thursday, June 2 – Sessions (if needed)

cont’d on next pageJune cont’d

Tuesday, June 7 – Sessions Wednesday, June 8 – Sessions Thursday, June 9 – Sessions (if needed)

Tuesday, June 14 – Sessions Wednesday, June 15 – Sessions Thursday, June 16 – Sessions (if needed)

Tuesday, June 21 – Sessions Wednesday, June 22 – Sessions Thursday, June 23 – Sessions

Tuesday, June 28 – Sessions Wednesday, June 29 – Sessions Thursday, June 30 – Sessions

July Monday, July 4 – Independence Day (State Offices

closed)

Tuesday, July 12 – Sessions (if needed) Wednesday, July 13 – Sessions (if needed)

Least Legislation in Decades Marks 128th Assembly

Ohio’s politically divided 2009-10 legislature met less often and passed fewer bills

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2010  02:59 AM

BY JIM SIEGEL

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

DispatchPolitics

• DispatchPolitics.com
  Complete coverage of Ohio politics
• The Daily Briefing
  The Dispatch’s public affairs team sates the appetites of political junkies with bite-sized portions of the news and what’s behind it.
• Buckeye Forum
  Veteran political reporters examine Ohio politics in this weekly podcast.

Today’s political news

• Gadgets to be allowed on House floor
• End-of-life counseling provision kept quiet
• Strickland’s legacy clouded by economy
• State sees results in shifting of long-term-care costs
• 128th General Assembly
• Inexperience = gridlock
• Judicial nomination clears U.S. Senate
• Funding for Piketon jobs escapes potential threat
• A brief look back at four years
• Strickland: I paved way
• Free to choose
• At a crossroads
• How Ohioans voted last week
• Today’s TV news shows
• What new tax law means for you

he 128th General Assembly set a modern record for inactivity.

The first politically divided legislature in 14 years held fewer sessions and passed fewer bills over the past two years than those that preceded it – much fewer.

Lawmakers will argue that such statistics are not necessarily true gauges of workload or success. There were some legislative accomplishments, but the numbers are so much lower than in past sessions that they are hard to ignore. Consider:

• During the previous 20 years, including times when government was politically divided, an average of 247 bills became law in each two-year legislative session. This session: 58.

• Since 1997, the House and Senate each met about 83 times in every session. This session, the Senate met 58 times and the House 52 – barely once every two weeks.

• The Republican Senate passed 98 bills this session, just 35 percent of its normal output during the previous 20 years. The Democratic House moved 137 bills, about 44 percent of its usual workload.

Ruling parties in both chambers did break fundraising records, however.

“I’ve been here 10 years, and I’ve never seen a less productive two-year session,” said Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati. He showed his frustration by ticking off a number of bipartisan bills that died in one chamber or the other.

“I’m asked by the state and local bar associations to teach continuing-education seminars on recent legislative activities. It’s a damn short seminar this year.”

During the past two years, it was not uncommon to hear complaints that Republican leaders were refusing to engage in major policy discussions, or that Democratic leaders didn’t understand how to negotiate.

This was hardly Ohio’s first politically divided legislature. But it was the first since eight-year term limits started in 2000. In conversations with lawmakers and lobbyists about why things were so dysfunctional, a common theme emerged: inexperience.

When Democrats took control of the House for the first time in 14 years, new Speaker Armond Budish of Beachwood and his No. 2, Rep. Matthew Szollosi of Oregon, had a combined four years of legislative experience. Their caucus was full of members who had never served in the majority, which showed at times when committees did not run at all smoothly.

Senate Republicans were a distinctly more-seasoned bunch than their House counterparts, but they were inexperienced in another key way: Practically none of them knew anything but one-party legislative control. They had no experience dealing with legislative Democrats on equal footing.

So, as one veteran lawmaker put it, green House leaders “didn’t know what they were doing” and focused too much on the elections, and Senate Republicans acted too much like a minority party, more interested in blocking Gov. Ted Strickland and legislative Democrats than stepping up to lead.

The result was gridlock.

“I don’t know if someone made the determination at some point that gridlock was to their advantage come election time,” said Rep. Dan Dodd, D-Hebron, who served two terms. “It was a little bizarre. It seemed like nothing was easy at any point.”

The House and Senate never developed a good working relationship, starting at the top with Budish and Senate President Bill M. Harris, R-Ashland. The two are genuinely polite, kind men, and they often spoke well of each other on a personal level.

But some say their professional relationship suffered early when Harris slipped on ice in late January 2009 and badly broke his leg, putting him out of action for two months during a critical time when the leaders would normally work to build mutual comfort and trust.

When Harris returned, the legislature was in the midst of a highly contentious debate about the two-year budget. The budget fight pushed past the deadline into July. A funding shortage forced a second nasty budget fight in December.

The two chambers fought about having to make a series of unpopular decisions. They fought about who would get credit for certain legislation. Good will never developed.

There are good people in both parties, Szollosi said, but term limits make it tough to get to know one another.

“Without any real foundation of relationships, there is very little trust, and it’s reflected in the rather poor relationship you saw between the Senate and House this term,” he said.

And then there was the election.

“There was a lot (at) stake in 2010, and neither chamber wanted to give an inch on policy issues that could be used against people for political purposes,” Szollosi said. “It was unfortunate.”

House Democrats were trying to hold a slim majority. Republicans were gunning for the House and all statewide offices.

“I think politics superseded policy,” said Rep. Marian Harris, D-Columbus, a freshman who was frustrated by her only term in the House. “The problem for us was the Senate.”

Sen. Kevin J. Coughlin, R-Cuyahoga Falls, said: “Our leadership tells us in the caucus that communication from the House Democrats has been hard to get.”

But as they talked, both Rep. Harris and Coughlin also cited faults on their own side.

“In retrospect, I wish we had more sessions and passed more bills,” Rep. Harris said. “It may have put more pressure on the Senate to deal with some of those issues.”

Coughlin added: “I would have preferred to be more proactive in defining a clear Senate/Republican agenda. I think you do have to put out a program. We did not. We were reactionary.”

jsiegel@dispatch.com

Ohio’s Advanced Energy Fund would continue another three years under legislation that cleared a split House committee Tuesday, but the program’s future remains uncertain as the two-year session nears an end.

The measure, HB 301, passed the House Alternative Energy Committee on an 11-6 tally, setting it for a likely House vote next week.

Sponsor Rep. Mike Foley (D-Cleveland) won support for an amendment that scales back the length of the program; sets the stage for declining value grants; and directs consultation between the director of development and the Public Benefits Advisory Board on grant awards.

He said the change was offered in recognition of “political realities.”

Funding for the program – which ends at the conclusion of 2010 – would continue to be generated by a 9 cent-per-month rider on electric bills.

Mr. Foley said Sen. Chris Widener (R-Springfield), chair of the Senate Energy & Public Utilities Committee, had requested a copy of the amendment, but acknowledged he wasn’t certain how the measure might play in the Senate.

“I’m not going to guarantee obviously that this is going to have any legs when it gets over there,” he said. “This is a jobs bill. This helps Ohio industries that are doing this work.”

Six of the committee’s Republicans – Reps. Jarrod Martin of Beavercreek, Ron Amstutz of Wooster, Lou Blessing of Cincinnati, Bruce Goodwin of Defiance, Ron Maag of Lebanon and Todd Snitchler of Uniontown – voted against the bill. GOP Reps. Jay Hottinger of Newark and Clyde Evans of Rio Grande voted with majority Democrats in support.

Before the vote, three witnesses urged the panel to act on the bill.

Terrence O’Donnell of Ohio Advanced Energy said the “fairly modest” charge plays a key role in helping spur the state’s alternative energy industry, adding that the fund fits well with the renewable portfolio standard.

He told the panel that a number of companies are waiting for funding, and said the support will help the firms hire workers and create new products and technologies.

Stephen Melink of Cincinnati’s Melink Corporation, said Ohio is well-positioned to be a leader in new energy technologies, but warned that failing to renew the fund would help other states get a better foothold.

Mr. Melink said Ohio is particularly advanced in the solar field, saying Toledo is becoming known as the Silicon Valley of the solar and photovoltaic industry.

David Mallie, president of The EDC Group, said his firm has seen an increase in the number of people pursuing renewable energy options to help control energy and fuel costs. “If the Advanced Energy Fund is now renewed, it will cost Ohio a tremendous amount of job loss when job creation is one of our biggest goals,” he said, adding that the jobs of at least hundreds of people hang in the balance.

It was announced Wednesday night that Rep. Armond Budish (D-Beachwood), current Speaker of the House, has been elected to lead House Democrats in the new session.

Mr. Budish will serve as minority leader, while Rep. Matthew Szollosi (D-Toledo) will serve as assistant minority leader.Rep. Tracy Heard (D-Columbus) will be minority whip, andRep. Debbie Phillips (D-Athens) will be assistant minority whip.

Legislative leaders are preparing for the new 129^th  General Assembly that will begin in January by lining up leadership within each respective caucus. 

In the House this week, Republicans elected Rep. Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) speaker, Rep. Lou Blessing (R-Cincinnati) speaker pro tem, Rep. Matt Huffman (R-Lima) majority floor leader, Rep. Barbara Sears (R-Maumee) assistant majority floor leader, Rep. John Adams (R-Sidney) majority whip and Rep. Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City) assistant majority whip. 

Separately, Rep. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) was tapped to chair the House Finance & Appropriations Committee. Representative-elect John Carey (R-Wellston), who currently chairs the companion committee in the Senate, will serve as vice chair.

On the Senate side, Democrats elected Sen. Capri Cafaro (D-Hubbard) minority leader, Sen. Shirley Smith (D-Cleveland) assistant minority leader, Senator-elect Edna Brown (D-Toledo) minority whip, and Sen. Jason Wilson (D-Columbiana) assistant minority whip.

Senate Republicans are expected to elect their leadership team by month’s end and then move quickly to appoint three new members to replace Secretary of State-elect Jon Husted, Congressman-elect Bob Gibbs and state Representative-elect Tim Grendell. We will publish the results of all leadership elections as they occur as well as information about newly appointed legislators.

Local economic development specialists want Gov. Kasich to officially reverse a Strickland-era policy that required developers pay union-scale wages on projects benefiting from public funding. 

During a presentation to the Senate Ways & Means & Economic Development Committee Thursday, Ohio Economic Development Association officers said the new administration should clarify how prevailing wage law applies to privately funded portions of a project. 

Although the Strickland Administration essentially backed off its 2008 guidelines applying prevailing wage requirements to any project involving both public and private funding, the word hasn’t gotten out, said OEDA Vice President Chris Strayer, development director for Canal Winchester. 

“A lot of site selectors have crossed Ohio off their list because there’s no clarity on that,” he said, suggesting Gov. Kasich issue an executive order to publicize the fact that private projects are no longer subject to prevailing wage.

The Strickland Administration had said new guidelines were necessary to clarify prevailing wage law because it was being applied inconsistently across the state. However, after the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the law applies only to work performed directly on a public improvement project, the administration reversed course. 

Dennis Ginty, spokesman for the Department of Commerce, which enforces prevailing wage law, said the agency was applying the requirements on a case-by-case basis, while taking into account the Supreme Court ruling.  DOC has not taken steps to publicize the current policy, he said. 

Mr. Strayer said local economic development officials still had a hard time getting business relocation consultants to consider Ohio locations because of the policy change.  “We’re still fighting a battle with the national site selectors saying, ‘It’s back to the way it was before,’” he said, adding the response often amounts to: “Well, you guys might change your mind.”

In presenting several policy recommendations Mr. Strayer, along with OEDA President Jamie Beier Grant, also recommended lawmakers create a $1 billion Great Lakes Angel Fund to help transition emerging companies from the early stages to production. While the Third Frontier Program is effective in fostering new technologies, Ohio lacks resources to advance enterprising ideas, he said.  “We lose a lot of these companies that we probably don’t even know we have,” he said, adding the emerging companies usually move to places like Silicon Valley, where more angel funding is available.

Mr. Strayer said the funding could come, in part, as a loan from pension funds.

MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2011  02:51 AM

BY JIM WEIKER

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

DispatchPolitics

• DispatchPolitics.com
  Complete coverage of Ohio politics
• The Daily Briefing
  The Dispatch’s public affairs team sates the appetites of political junkies with bite-sized portions of the news and what’s behind it.
• Buckeye Forum
  Veteran political reporters examine Ohio politics in this weekly podcast.

Today’s political news

• Ohio Turnpike takes in record tolls in 2010
• GOP’s watchdog promises savings
• 9/11 health bill signed by vacationing Obama
• Ohio homebuilders fight tougher code
• Family is key to new judge’s success
• Budget not sole issue facing Ohio legislators
• Boehner to promise new routine in House

omes built this year in Michigan and Pennsylvania will be more energy-efficient – and more costly – than those built in Ohio, as those states enact building codes that have remained in committees for almost two years in Ohio.

Ohio homebuilders have opposed the codes, which are based on the International Code Council models, on the grounds that they would add significantly to the price of a new home at exactly the wrong time. Several new construction codes are on the table, including a new residential code, but the biggest lightning rod has been the council’s proposed energy-conservation code.

“We think the code is very short-sighted,” said Vincent Squillace, executive vice president of the Ohio Home Builders Association. “Why, in the middle of a three- or four-year depression, would you cause a financial impact on the homebuying public?”

According to an analysis done for the association, the energy code’s recommendations could add up to $2,500 to the cost of a central Ohio home and take more than 20 years to pay off in utility savings.

Proponents of the energy code, which is backed by a large coalition of consumer, environmental, conservation and civic groups including the League of Women Voters and the NAACP, dispute those figures.

According to a study done on behalf of the code’s advocates, the changes could add about $800 to the cost of a typical new home and save a homeowner more than $200 a year in utility costs, leaving a four-year payback.

“We’re requiring our utilities to use 21st-century technology, and our manufacturers and car makers,” said Jennifer Miller, the conservation coordinator with the Ohio chapter of the Sierra Club, which has been active in organizing support for the proposed code. “It’s really time we bring our homes up to the same standards, too.”

Besides Michigan and Pennsylvania, the council codes have been adopted by Illinois and Iowa and are under consideration in Kentucky and Indiana.

“All around us, states are updating their codes to protect consumers and to protect the environment, and Ohio has just paused,” Miller said.

The codes have been under discussion since early 2009, when the International Code Council, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, drafted model codes for states to consider.

One of the proposed residential code’s most controversial provisions would have required sprinkler systems in new homes to protect against fire. That provision is almost certain to be scratched from any final Ohio code, as it has been in other states, say those involved in the process.

The most contentious remaining recommendations are found in the energy code. Among them: raising the R-value insulation requirement for exterior walls from R-13 to R-20 and basement walls from R-5 to R-10. (A different set of recommendations would apply to southern Ohio counties because of their different climate.)

The code also recommends that at least half the light bulbs in new homes be high-efficiency such as compact fluorescent bulbs; that homes meet an air-tightness standard that could include a blower-door test; and that air ducts be sealed if they are in nonheated spaces such as attics or crawl spaces.

One of builders’ biggest fears is that increasing exterior wall insulation would force them to construct 2-by-6 walls instead of the more common 2-by-4 walls.

That fear is unwarranted, said Isaac Elnecave, a senior policy manager with the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance who has testified on behalf of the energy code. Elnecave said builders can avoid putting in thicker walls if they cover the outside of the building with a layer of foam insulation.

In addition, code review committees are exploring different approaches to greater efficiency that might eliminate a minimum

R-value, said Regina Hanshaw, the executive secretary of Ohio’s Board of Building Standards, which is responsible for the state’s building codes.

“The energy subcommittee is looking at adopting the (energy provisions) as a whole but is also looking at stakeholders to see if they can develop an alternative path that might be as energy-efficient,” Hanshaw said.

Much of the two-year debate has focused on details of that alternative path. After much jockeying, the Board of Building Standards came close to approving a set of codes in November 2009 but shelved it with instructions from Gov. Ted Strickland’s office to review the codes’ “potential impact on the state’s struggling economy,” according to a board memo.

Hanshaw said she expects a code to be adopted in 2011. The state must adopt more-energy-efficient building codes sometime in the next eight years to live up to its end of a bargain with the federal government that allowed the state to begin receiving $96 million in energy-related federal stimulus funds.

Squillace said the homebuilders’ association will continue to oppose new codes, setting the stage for a lobbying battle in the new year.

“There is no reason to change the code,” he said. “If you keep everything in place, you’ll be able to keep some housing affordability.”

Proponents of the changes say that although they understand the builders’ concerns, they will likewise push to adopt the tougher codes.

“There’s a lot of good reasons to do this, both environmental and economic,” Elnecave said. “If you have energy-efficient building codes, homeowners make out well because they’re saving energy and money.”

jweiker@dispatch.com

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2011  03:01 AM 

BY JIM SIEGEL AND DARREL ROWL

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

PATRICK KASTNER | DISPATCH

Try it yourself

The Dispatch has created an interactive online exercise that lets readers attempt to balance Ohio’s next budget. Users can make any or all of 34 policy choices, then see the results.

Try your hand at balancing the state budget

DispatchPolitics

• DispatchPolitics.com
  Complete coverage of Ohio politics
• The Daily Briefing
  The Dispatch’s public affairs team sates the appetites of political junkies with bite-sized portions of the news and what’s behind it.
• Buckeye Forum
  Veteran political reporters examine Ohio politics in this weekly podcast.

Today’s political news

• Ohio Turnpike takes in record tolls in 2010
• GOP’s watchdog promises savings
• 9/11 health bill signed by vacationing Obama
• Ohio homebuilders fight tougher code
• Family is key to new judge’s success
• Budget not sole issue facing Ohio legislators
• Boehner to promise new routine in House

8,000,000,000.

We’re not used to seeing Ohio’s probable state budget shortfall for the next two years written out that way, with all the zeros.

Perhaps it somehow better conveys the enormity of the task facing the administration of incoming Gov. John Kasich and the state legislature, which will be controlled by Kasich’s fellow Republicans.

Maybe Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor could help solve the problem. He sold his 2008 Big Ten championship ring, 2009 Fiesta Bowl sportsmanship award and 2008 gold pants trinket for beating Michigan and now must repay $2,500.

‘Course, he’d have to repeat his deeds 3.2 million times to come up with the necessary cash.

OK, let’s think bigger: Put a super-surcharge on fans attending next season’s revenge game against Wisconsin of, say, a mere $75,000 apiece.

Still wouldn’t be enough.

All right, let’s talk about more realistic options – althoughrealistic may be in the eye of the beholder.

Firing every state employee would get you more than half of the way there, but not much more. About 85 percent of state general revenue funds (money from state taxes and some matching federal dollars) are passed through to local boards, agencies and governmental entities. That means major cuts to “state” government actually wind up reducing funding to schools, cities, universities, counties and townships, most of which have their own fiscal woes.

Raising the state sales tax from 5.5 cents on the dollar to 8 cents, a 45 percent jump, would bring in about $6.5 billion. Wiping out the 2005 income-tax cut (21 percent), could mean about $4.3 billion. Majority Republicans likely would argue that either option would devastate the state.

Ohio charges many dozens of fees for various licenses and services, and nearly all of them could be raised to some degree. Ohio also gives away more than $7 billion in tax exemptions, credits and deductions that could be eliminated or reduced.

But Kasich and a number of Republican lawmakers have signed a national no-tax pledge that covers not only taxes, but also fees. Under the pledge, some could be raised, but others must be lowered so there is no net increase. However, some veteran legislative Republicans are quietly questioning whether the budget can really balance without more revenue, and there seems to be a growing expectation that Kasich will violate the no-new-fees portion of the pledge.

There are other ways to pick up more money. Selling state buildings could provide a quick cash infusion, but would cost Ohio more in the future for lease payments. Selling the Ohio Turnpike could also mean major up-front cash, but doing so could also have ramifications and would be difficult to pass over objections from a host of lawmakers from both parties across northern Ohio.

In mid-March, Kasich and his team may unveil some truly unique ways to balance the 2012-13 budget, including perhaps combining and privatizing state functions.

So what is the $8 billion shortfall anyway? Simply put, it is roughly the amount the state is lacking if it wants to continue to providing the same services it provides today for the next two years, starting July 1.

No one can pinpoint the exact budget shortfall because there are too many unknown factors, including the estimated tax-revenue growth, some future costs, whether Congress plans to help again, and just what state leaders want government to look like when they’re done. But most experts agree $8 billion is a good place to start the conversation, and some say it’s more like $10 billion when such factors as the state’s debt on unemployment compensation is included.

The current two-year budget is balanced with about $8.7 billion in one-time money that is not expected to be available again. More than $5 billion is from the federal stimulus package that, depending on one’s perspective, either saved Ohio and most other states from potentially devastating cuts, or simply put off tough decisions for two years.

Despite what you may have heard during the campaign this fall, there is no way state leaders can save billions simply by “trimming fat” or “enacting efficiencies” that won’t be noticed. Experts will tell you that most of the low- and even medium-hanging fruit has already been harvested to balance the current budget, which suffered from an unprecedented drop in tax revenue.

Rather, state leaders will soon learn a political truism: Talking about cutting the budget is easier than actually cutting it. Perhaps that is why nearly every prior state budget crisis was at least partially fixed with tax increases, regardless of which party was in charge.

So you want to cut? Eliminating all tax funding for a dozen state agencies – including the departments of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Development, Veterans Services and Youth Services (juvenile prisons) – saves about $3.4 billion, less than half the shortfall.

Republicans have talked about significantly reducing the number of state agencies, which might save money long term. But significant savings in the first two years are far less likely.

Cutting Medicaid, which makes up about 40 percent of the state general revenue fund, is ugly because it eliminates about $2 in federal money for every $1 in state cuts. In addition to hitting Ohio’s poorest and most fragile citizens, cuts also can hurt hospitals, doctors, nursing homes and others in the health-care industry.

Deep cuts to grades K-12 education would force further reductions in teachers and programs and likely send property taxes upward, leaving Ohio’s overall tax burden worse.

Major cuts to universities could trigger huge tuition increases, which could be considered tax increases on the middle class.

Ohio’s prisons are already overcrowded, and while there have been recent proposals to move nonviolent prisoners to community programs, the short-term savings are about $50 million over two years. And some lawmakers are nervous about constituents’ reactions to freeing criminals.

Ohio sends more than $1 billion a year directly to local governments and libraries, making it a tempting cut. But libraries have an amazing ability to organize their patrons to fight cuts. For cities and villages, most of that state money pays for police and fire protection.

While groups including Greater Ohio and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce have recently recommended major changes to the state’s 19 {+t}{+h} century system of local governments, even if local officials pledge to consolidate and become more efficient, such moves take time to see big savings.

And finally, the state pays 12.5 percent of every local property tax levy approved by voters. This is a huge, growing expense for the state ($1.7 billion a year). But while most homeowners are likely unaware that the state is picking up one-eighth of their property tax bill, they are sure to notice if the state stops doing it.

jsiegel@dispatch.com

drowland@dispatch.com

President-elect of the Senate Tom Niehaus and Speaker-elect of the House Bill Batchleder announced the sched- ule for the first half of 2011. Unless otherwise notified, Senate sessions start at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 11 a.m. on Thursdays while the House meets at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays; 1:30 p.m. on Wednes- days; and 1 p.m. on Thursdays. Dates are subject to change.

January Saturday, January 1 – New Year’s Day

Monday, January 3 – 129th General Assembly convenes 1:30 p.m. Senate meets 2 p.m. House meets 4:30 p.m. Joint Session for canvassing of vote

Monday, January 10 – Inauguration of Governor, Other Statewide Offices

Tuesday, January 11 – Sessions

Monday, January 17 – Martin Luther King Day (State Offices closed)

Tuesday, January 18 – Committee Hearings Wednesday, January 19 – Committee Hearings Thursday, January 20 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, January 25 – Committee Hearings Wednesday, January 26 – Committee Hearings Thursday, January 27 – Committee Hearings

February

Tuesday, February 1 – Sessions Wednesday, February 2 – Sessions Thursday, February 3 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, February 8 – Sessions Wednesday, February 9 – Committee Hearings Thursday, February 10 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, February 15 – Sessions Wednesday, February 16 – Sessions Thursday, February 17 – Committee Hearings

Monday, February 21 – Presidents’ Day (State Offices closed)

Tuesday, February 22 – Committee Hearings Wednesday, February 23 – Sessions Thursday, February 24 – Committee Hearings

March

Tuesday, March 1 – Sessions Wednesday, March 2 – Sessions Thursday, March 3 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, March 8 – Sessions Wednesday, March 9 – Sessions Thursday, March 10 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, March 15 – Sessions

Gov. Kasich’s FY12-13 Budget Due to Legislature

Wednesday, March 16 – Sessions Thursday, March 17 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, March 22 – Sessions Wednesday, March 23 – Sessions Thursday, March 24 – Committee Hearings

Tuesday, March 29 – Sessions Wednesday, March 30 – Sessions Thursday, March 31 – Committee Hearings

April

Tuesday, April 5 – Sessions Wednesday, April 6 – Sessions Thursday, April 7 – Sessions (if needed)

Tuesday, April 12 – Sessions Wednesday, April 13 – Sessions Thursday, April 14 – Sessions (if needed)

April 18 – April 29 – Spring Break 

May

Tuesday, May 3 -Sessions

Primary Election

Wednesday, May 4 – Sessions Thursday, May 5 – Sessions (if needed)

Tuesday, May 10 – Sessions Wednesday, May 11 – Sessions Thursday, May 12 – Sessions (if needed)

Tuesday, May 17 – Sessions Wednesday, May 18 – Sessions Thursday, May 19- Committee Hearings

Tuesday, May 24 – Sessions Wednesday, May 25 – Sessions Thursday, May 26 – Committee Hearings

Monday, May 30 – Memorial Day (State Offices closed) 

June

Wednesday, June 1 – Sessions Thursday, June 2 – Sessions (if needed)

cont’d on next pageJune cont’d

Tuesday, June 7 – Sessions Wednesday, June 8 – Sessions Thursday, June 9 – Sessions (if needed)

Tuesday, June 14 – Sessions Wednesday, June 15 – Sessions Thursday, June 16 – Sessions (if needed)

Tuesday, June 21 – Sessions Wednesday, June 22 – Sessions Thursday, June 23 – Sessions

Tuesday, June 28 – Sessions Wednesday, June 29 – Sessions Thursday, June 30 – Sessions

July Monday, July 4 – Independence Day (State Offices

closed)

Tuesday, July 12 – Sessions (if needed) Wednesday, July 13 – Sessions (if needed)

Least Legislation in Decades Marks 128th Assembly

Ohio’s politically divided 2009-10 legislature met less often and passed fewer bills

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2010  02:59 AM

BY JIM SIEGEL

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

DispatchPolitics

• DispatchPolitics.com
  Complete coverage of Ohio politics
• The Daily Briefing
  The Dispatch’s public affairs team sates the appetites of political junkies with bite-sized portions of the news and what’s behind it.
• Buckeye Forum
  Veteran political reporters examine Ohio politics in this weekly podcast.

Today’s political news

• Gadgets to be allowed on House floor
• End-of-life counseling provision kept quiet
• Strickland’s legacy clouded by economy
• State sees results in shifting of long-term-care costs
• 128th General Assembly
• Inexperience = gridlock
• Judicial nomination clears U.S. Senate
• Funding for Piketon jobs escapes potential threat
• A brief look back at four years
• Strickland: I paved way
• Free to choose
• At a crossroads
• How Ohioans voted last week
• Today’s TV news shows
• What new tax law means for you

he 128th General Assembly set a modern record for inactivity.

The first politically divided legislature in 14 years held fewer sessions and passed fewer bills over the past two years than those that preceded it – much fewer.

Lawmakers will argue that such statistics are not necessarily true gauges of workload or success. There were some legislative accomplishments, but the numbers are so much lower than in past sessions that they are hard to ignore. Consider:

• During the previous 20 years, including times when government was politically divided, an average of 247 bills became law in each two-year legislative session. This session: 58.

• Since 1997, the House and Senate each met about 83 times in every session. This session, the Senate met 58 times and the House 52 – barely once every two weeks.

• The Republican Senate passed 98 bills this session, just 35 percent of its normal output during the previous 20 years. The Democratic House moved 137 bills, about 44 percent of its usual workload.

Ruling parties in both chambers did break fundraising records, however.

“I’ve been here 10 years, and I’ve never seen a less productive two-year session,” said Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati. He showed his frustration by ticking off a number of bipartisan bills that died in one chamber or the other.

“I’m asked by the state and local bar associations to teach continuing-education seminars on recent legislative activities. It’s a damn short seminar this year.”

During the past two years, it was not uncommon to hear complaints that Republican leaders were refusing to engage in major policy discussions, or that Democratic leaders didn’t understand how to negotiate.

This was hardly Ohio’s first politically divided legislature. But it was the first since eight-year term limits started in 2000. In conversations with lawmakers and lobbyists about why things were so dysfunctional, a common theme emerged: inexperience.

When Democrats took control of the House for the first time in 14 years, new Speaker Armond Budish of Beachwood and his No. 2, Rep. Matthew Szollosi of Oregon, had a combined four years of legislative experience. Their caucus was full of members who had never served in the majority, which showed at times when committees did not run at all smoothly.

Senate Republicans were a distinctly more-seasoned bunch than their House counterparts, but they were inexperienced in another key way: Practically none of them knew anything but one-party legislative control. They had no experience dealing with legislative Democrats on equal footing.

So, as one veteran lawmaker put it, green House leaders “didn’t know what they were doing” and focused too much on the elections, and Senate Republicans acted too much like a minority party, more interested in blocking Gov. Ted Strickland and legislative Democrats than stepping up to lead.

The result was gridlock.

“I don’t know if someone made the determination at some point that gridlock was to their advantage come election time,” said Rep. Dan Dodd, D-Hebron, who served two terms. “It was a little bizarre. It seemed like nothing was easy at any point.”

The House and Senate never developed a good working relationship, starting at the top with Budish and Senate President Bill M. Harris, R-Ashland. The two are genuinely polite, kind men, and they often spoke well of each other on a personal level.

But some say their professional relationship suffered early when Harris slipped on ice in late January 2009 and badly broke his leg, putting him out of action for two months during a critical time when the leaders would normally work to build mutual comfort and trust.

When Harris returned, the legislature was in the midst of a highly contentious debate about the two-year budget. The budget fight pushed past the deadline into July. A funding shortage forced a second nasty budget fight in December.

The two chambers fought about having to make a series of unpopular decisions. They fought about who would get credit for certain legislation. Good will never developed.

There are good people in both parties, Szollosi said, but term limits make it tough to get to know one another.

“Without any real foundation of relationships, there is very little trust, and it’s reflected in the rather poor relationship you saw between the Senate and House this term,” he said.

And then there was the election.

“There was a lot (at) stake in 2010, and neither chamber wanted to give an inch on policy issues that could be used against people for political purposes,” Szollosi said. “It was unfortunate.”

House Democrats were trying to hold a slim majority. Republicans were gunning for the House and all statewide offices.

“I think politics superseded policy,” said Rep. Marian Harris, D-Columbus, a freshman who was frustrated by her only term in the House. “The problem for us was the Senate.”

Sen. Kevin J. Coughlin, R-Cuyahoga Falls, said: “Our leadership tells us in the caucus that communication from the House Democrats has been hard to get.”

But as they talked, both Rep. Harris and Coughlin also cited faults on their own side.

“In retrospect, I wish we had more sessions and passed more bills,” Rep. Harris said. “It may have put more pressure on the Senate to deal with some of those issues.”

Coughlin added: “I would have preferred to be more proactive in defining a clear Senate/Republican agenda. I think you do have to put out a program. We did not. We were reactionary.”

jsiegel@dispatch.com

Ohio’s Advanced Energy Fund would continue another three years under legislation that cleared a split House committee Tuesday, but the program’s future remains uncertain as the two-year session nears an end.

The measure, HB 301, passed the House Alternative Energy Committee on an 11-6 tally, setting it for a likely House vote next week.

Sponsor Rep. Mike Foley (D-Cleveland) won support for an amendment that scales back the length of the program; sets the stage for declining value grants; and directs consultation between the director of development and the Public Benefits Advisory Board on grant awards.

He said the change was offered in recognition of “political realities.”

Funding for the program – which ends at the conclusion of 2010 – would continue to be generated by a 9 cent-per-month rider on electric bills.

Mr. Foley said Sen. Chris Widener (R-Springfield), chair of the Senate Energy & Public Utilities Committee, had requested a copy of the amendment, but acknowledged he wasn’t certain how the measure might play in the Senate.

“I’m not going to guarantee obviously that this is going to have any legs when it gets over there,” he said. “This is a jobs bill. This helps Ohio industries that are doing this work.”

Six of the committee’s Republicans – Reps. Jarrod Martin of Beavercreek, Ron Amstutz of Wooster, Lou Blessing of Cincinnati, Bruce Goodwin of Defiance, Ron Maag of Lebanon and Todd Snitchler of Uniontown – voted against the bill. GOP Reps. Jay Hottinger of Newark and Clyde Evans of Rio Grande voted with majority Democrats in support.

Before the vote, three witnesses urged the panel to act on the bill.

Terrence O’Donnell of Ohio Advanced Energy said the “fairly modest” charge plays a key role in helping spur the state’s alternative energy industry, adding that the fund fits well with the renewable portfolio standard.

He told the panel that a number of companies are waiting for funding, and said the support will help the firms hire workers and create new products and technologies.

Stephen Melink of Cincinnati’s Melink Corporation, said Ohio is well-positioned to be a leader in new energy technologies, but warned that failing to renew the fund would help other states get a better foothold.

Mr. Melink said Ohio is particularly advanced in the solar field, saying Toledo is becoming known as the Silicon Valley of the solar and photovoltaic industry.

David Mallie, president of The EDC Group, said his firm has seen an increase in the number of people pursuing renewable energy options to help control energy and fuel costs. “If the Advanced Energy Fund is now renewed, it will cost Ohio a tremendous amount of job loss when job creation is one of our biggest goals,” he said, adding that the jobs of at least hundreds of people hang in the balance.

It was announced Wednesday night that Rep. Armond Budish (D-Beachwood), current Speaker of the House, has been elected to lead House Democrats in the new session.

Mr. Budish will serve as minority leader, while Rep. Matthew Szollosi (D-Toledo) will serve as assistant minority leader.Rep. Tracy Heard (D-Columbus) will be minority whip, andRep. Debbie Phillips (D-Athens) will be assistant minority whip.

Legislative leaders are preparing for the new 129^th  General Assembly that will begin in January by lining up leadership within each respective caucus. 

In the House this week, Republicans elected Rep. Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) speaker, Rep. Lou Blessing (R-Cincinnati) speaker pro tem, Rep. Matt Huffman (R-Lima) majority floor leader, Rep. Barbara Sears (R-Maumee) assistant majority floor leader, Rep. John Adams (R-Sidney) majority whip and Rep. Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City) assistant majority whip. 

Separately, Rep. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) was tapped to chair the House Finance & Appropriations Committee. Representative-elect John Carey (R-Wellston), who currently chairs the companion committee in the Senate, will serve as vice chair.

On the Senate side, Democrats elected Sen. Capri Cafaro (D-Hubbard) minority leader, Sen. Shirley Smith (D-Cleveland) assistant minority leader, Senator-elect Edna Brown (D-Toledo) minority whip, and Sen. Jason Wilson (D-Columbiana) assistant minority whip.

Senate Republicans are expected to elect their leadership team by month’s end and then move quickly to appoint three new members to replace Secretary of State-elect Jon Husted, Congressman-elect Bob Gibbs and state Representative-elect Tim Grendell. We will publish the results of all leadership elections as they occur as well as information about newly appointed legislators.