CAPITOLCREATIVE Ohio Alliance of YMCAs 40 West Long St, Columbus, OH 43215 BRIEFNAME November 2014 www.ohioymcas.org A legislative newsletter for CEOs, CVOs, Staff, and Partners of the Ohio Alliance of YMCAs IN THIS ISSUE Statehouse Family Feud a Success! Election Takeaways Lame Duck Chaos Begins Will the New Legislature and Governor Get Along? Governor Begins School Mentoring Program Legislature Elects New Leadership for each House th 6 Circuit Court Upholds Marriage Ban STATEHOUSE FAMILY ENJOY THIS ISSUE? Feel free to share this newsletter FEUD A SUCCESS! with anyone who you think may find it useful. On November 18, the Ohio Alliance of YMCAs hosted the 2nd annual Ohio Statehouse Family Feud, where Republican and Democratic legislators battled it out in good fun to benefit Ohio YMCA Youth in Government. The Democrats fought to keep the trophy from last year, but the Republicans QUESTIONS, were victorious. Over 100 lobbyists and legislators turned out to watch COMMENTS, IDEAS? the legislators play the Feud, and were generous in helping us raise dollars to support Youth in Government! Contact Beth Tsvetkoff at [email protected]. YIG Chair Rep. Lynn Wachtmann passed the gavel to the new co-chairs Sen. Bill Beagle, Rep. Christina Hagan, and Rep. Michael Stinziano. Also follow Beth on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BethTsvetkoff, Thank you to everyone who volunteered, participated, and attended! or at www.ohioymcas.org. For more information about YMCA Youth in Government, or to begin or expand a delegation at your Y or school, contact Charlie Myers at [email protected] or 419-632-1000. 1 ELECTION TAKEAWAYS LAME DUCK Turnout was down. According to unofficial numbers released from the CHAOS BEGINS secretary of state’s office, turnout was just a little more than three million, or about 39.99%, of the voting population in Ohio. In 2010, the As Ohio House Speaker William G. last gubernatorial election, turnout was nearly four million, or about Batchelder heads into the final 49.22%. two months of his 38-year legislative career, he described Getting an amendment on the ballot just got easier. The unofficial the upcoming lame-duck session vote for governor was about 3,010,760. Adding an amendment to the this way: “You never know what Ohio Constitution requires 10% of the total votes cast for governor, the hell is going to happen next.” meaning ballot issues will need just over 300,000 valid signatures to get That about sums it up. on the ballot. Previously, it was 385,247 signatures. The post-election sprint to the The Green Party is now a minor party. Green Party candidate Anita end of the legislative session Rios received about 3.3% of the total vote for governor, giving the Green began this month with what’s Party party status for the next four years. Current law puts the threshold commonly called the lame-duck at 2%, while recent legislation, SB 193 (Seitz), raised that threshold to — a period when legislation and 3% (though the bill currently is being litigated). amendments fly fast as leaders try to clear the decks and fulfill Lots of new faces. There are 29 incoming freshmen into the Ohio last-minute political wish lists. House. There are four new members in the Ohio Senate. Those numbers are up from the 130th General Assembly, when fewer than 20 seats in Senate President Keith Faber, R- both chambers changed hands. Celina, said the list of bills still pending in Senate committees Not their first rodeo. They may be called freshmen, but there are a goes on for ten pages. number of "new" members very familiar with the General Assembly. Robert Cupp, the new representative for the 3rd Ohio House District, Republican Gov. John Kasich may previously served in the Senate. David Leland in the 22nd House District be disappointed. He is not a fan previously served in the House, as did Tom Brinkman, the new of lame-duck sessions and has representative for the 27th District. In the Senate, Kenny Yuko returns to asked the legislative leaders to the General Assembly two years after term limits forced him from the keep it short. Ohio House. A look at some of the issues that Continuing their legislative careers. There are three lawmakers could pop up in the lame-duck switching from one chamber to the other in this incoming freshmen class, session is below. up from two in the 130th. Jay Hottinger and Sandra Williams move from the House to the Senate, while Tim Schaffer is returning to the House Municipal tax uniformity: A after an eight-year stint in the Senate. business-backed bill designed to bring more uniformity to Ohio’s Bad day to be a Redfern. Not only did Rep. Chris Redfern (D-Catawba complex system of municipal Island) lose his re-election bid and his ride as Ohio Democratic Party income taxes is likely to pass, chairman, but his wife, Kim, lost a bid for the State Board of Education’s despite continued objections from 2nd District, and brother Rick garnered 36% of the vote in a failed bid to cities including Columbus. unseat Rep. Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City). Red-light cameras: The House The races were not very competitive. Most of the legislative races already has passed a bill to saw the winner emerge by a least 5 percentage points. eliminate the cameras. The Senate is considering a different Women increase, African Americans decrease. The number of route, but the result would be the women in the 131st General Assembly will increase, going from 31 in the same — the cameras used by 130th to 33 in the 131st. The number of African Americans, however, is Columbus and other cities largely falling, going from 17 in the 130th to 15 in the 131st, in part because of would go away. Rep. Roland Winburn’s (D-Dayton) loss and the departure of Sen. Nina Turner (D-Cleveland), who ran for secretary of state. Reported by Hannah News Service Continued on page 3 2 Continued from page 2 WILL THE NEW LEGISLATURE Towing: A bill aimed at cracking AND GOVERNOR GET ALONG? down on predatory towing practices already has passed the Republican Gov. John Kasich will start his second term with his party House, and another dealing with controlling its largest legislative majorities in decades. unclaimed cars held by towing companies is in the Senate. But with Republicans winning a record 65 House seats in this month's election and maintaining a solid 23-10 Senate majority, Kasich may find it Guns: Lame-duck sessions are even harder to win legislative approval of some high-profile proposals, always ripe for gun legislation. including Medicaid expansion and increasing taxes on oil and gas fracking. SB 338, which makes a number of gun-related changes, including A more conservative legislature also could be more likely to pass reducing the training needed to measures Kasich may be leery to see come to his desk, such as "right-to- obtain a concealed-carry license work" legislation that would prohibit employers from requiring workers to from 12 hours to eight, is likely to pay union dues. Kasich is rumored to be interested in running for see action. It remains uncertain president in 2016, which, if true, would create additional pressure for him whether a stand-your-ground to avoid hot-button issues. provision that passed the House will be moved in the Senate. A number of Republican lawmakers said they expect to maintain good relations with the governor – perhaps even better than when he began his Redistricting/term limits: first term in 2011. But they also said they don't intend to march in lock Faber has indicated interest in step with the administration on every issue. passing a redistricting plan that would set up a bipartisan panel to "When he first came in and kind of started laying out his plans, I think draw legislative and congressional some people might have thought he was being too aggressive," said maps. Batchelder has shown Senate Majority Leader Tom Patton, a Strongsville Republican. "And now, more interest in expanding Ohio’s some of the people from his own party might think he's not aggressive eight-year legislative term limits, enough – read into that 'not conservative enough.'" likely to 12 years. However, with the Governor's accomplishments and landslide re-election Pay raises: Ohio judges, state victory, Patton said, GOP lawmakers "might be more prone to listen to his lawmakers, county elected opinions on a variety of issues" compared to when Kasich first took office. officials, and township trustees have not seen a pay raise since Rep. Bob Hackett, a London Republican, agreed, saying he believed 2008, and the only way to get lawmakers will work with Kasich better during his second term even one is if the legislature approves though the House will be more conservative. Between 20-25% of House it. Such votes are always dicey, Republicans, Hackett said, are on the "extremely far, tea-party-type but when they do happen, they right." But, he said, "that leaves a high percentage of the Republicans often take place during the lame- that are more, you know, reasonable." duck session. Rep. Kristina Roegner, a Hudson Republican, disputed that only Death penalty: Attorney General lawmakers on the far right support proposals such as a right-to-work bill. Mike DeWine and Ohio She said while conservatives will work cooperatively with the governor on prosecutors want to shield the many issues, "No one elected us to be rubber stamps." identities of drug suppliers and physicians involved in Ohio’s The administration, for its part, rejects the notion that Republican gains in execution process.