Senator Kearney Responds to Republican Claims of "Bipartisanship"

Senator Kearney

Columbus – Senate Democratic Leader Eric H. Kearney (D-Cincinnati) issued the following statement in response to claims of bipartisanship made today by Governor Kasich, Speaker Batchelder and President Niehaus:

“Webster’s dictionary defines ‘bipartisanship’ as cooperation, agreement and compromise between political parties. So, it strikes me as very odd that the Governor and Republican leaders would hold a press conference touting their new-found spirit of bipartisanship and not invite Democrats to the event.


“Where was the Republicans’ so-called ‘bipartisanship’ when they passed Senate Bill 5 without a single Democratic vote? Thankfully 62% of Ohioans rejected the GOP’s unwarranted attack on collective bargaining rights.


“To set the record straight, Senate Democrats have introduced 156 bills in this General Assembly, but only 14 percent have passed the Senate. Half of the bills that did pass were jointly sponsored with Republican members and five bills dealt with one issue—pension reform.”


“Senate Democrats also offered more than 700 amendments to protect Ohio’s schools and communities from Governor Kasich’s devastating budget cuts. Not a single amendment was accepted by the Republican majority. That is not bipartisanship by any definition.”