Columbus – Members of the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus introduced their first legislation of the 129th General Assembly that covers a broad range of issues important to Ohioans. The bills address economic and workforce development, support for working families, government efficiency and accountability, as well as consumer protections.
“Our top priority is doing all we can to create jobs and promote economic development,” said Senate Minority Leader Capri S. Cafaro (D-Hubbard). “At the same time we want to support and protect Ohio’s families and maintain government accountability that ensures taxpayer’s money is well spent. We will introduce additional legislation in the coming weeks that further illustrate our commitment to building a stronger Ohio.
The Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus introduced six bills today that address the following priorities for the 129th General Assembly:
Economic & Workforce Development
The top priority for the members of the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus is to help jumpstart Ohio’s economy. As a result, the Caucus will push for legislation that will help small businesses flourish and get more people back to work.
• Sen. Eric Kearney (SB 12) Small Business Set Asides: Requires the Department of Administrative Services and other state agencies to set aside approximately 20% of their purchases for which only small business enterprises may compete.
• Sen. Jason Wilson (SB 16) Agriculture Estate Tax: Eliminates the estate tax for Farm Preservation Lands. Under current law family farms often have to sell land to pay estate taxes which makes it difficult to continue operation.
Supporting Working Families
Hardworking families around the State of Ohio continue to struggle through this lingering recession. The Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus will be introducing measures that aim to ease the burden on these working families.
• Sen. Joe Schiavoni (SB 13) Unemployment Modernization Act: Would prevent denial of unemployment benefits to Individuals with compelling family circumstances and extend benefits for unemployed workers in qualified job training programs. Implementing these changes will qualify Ohio for part of $7 billion made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Government Efficiency & Accountability
Citizens expect their government to run as efficiently as possible and be accountable to the people it serves. The Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus continually seeks ways to make government work better and will pursue legislation to enact practical improvements.
• Sen. Capri Cafaro (SB 11) Regulatory Reform: This legislation builds on Governor Strickland’s Executive Order (2008-04S) by requiring state agencies to craft better methods for appropriately regulating entities that conduct business in the State. The bill also creates an e-notification system and an Ohio Small Business Panel to ensure that businesses are treated as partners in identifying and achieving regulatory goals.
• Sen. Nina Turner (SB 15) Dropout Prevention: To require the State Board of Education to recommend standards for dropout programs operated by school districts.
Consumer Protections
As Ohio continues down the road to economic recovery, we must not forget the unscrupulous and short-sighted business practices that contributed to severe financial hardship for many families. The Senate Democratic Caucus is committed to legislation that will protect consumers from such practices in the future.
• Sen. Michael Skindell (SB 14) Foreclosure-Mortgage Servicers: The bill takes a common sense approach to the mortgage crisis in Ohio by modifying court procedures and requirements for residential mortgage foreclosure actions. It also requires mortgage servicers to register with the Superintendent of Financial Institutions of the Department of Commerce, undergo civil and criminal background checks, to maintain standards of operation, and to provide notice and information to property owners.
