Senator Skindell's News Conference calling for Moratorium on Hydraulic Fracturing

State Senator Michael Skindell (D-Lakewood) has introduced two bills in an effort to protect Ohioans from the hazards associated with the use of horizontal hydraulic fracturing, a method used in the oil and gas drilling process.

Senator Skindell Comments on Prison Sale

Columbus – State Senator Michael J. Skindell (D-Lakewood) issued the following statement today after the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction announced the State of Ohio will be selling one prison instead of five:

“Fortunately the taxpayers of Ohio received a temporary reprieve from the sale of more valuable state assets. The fact that the Kasich administration found a buyer for only one state prison shows they greatly overestimated the potential cost savings from privatization.

“Today’s announcement is further proof that Ohio’s state-run prisons are already being operated efficiently and effectively, thanks in no small part to the hard work of the employees of the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. If that wasn’t the case, DRC would have been able to find more private companies willing to purchase Ohio prisons with the stipulation they cut operating costs by at least 5%.”

Senator Turner to Introduce Bill Requiring General Assembly Members to Take Drug Tests

Columbus –State Senator Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) will soon introduce legislation that will require members of the Ohio General Assembly to be randomly drug tested once a year in order to receive their pay.

“If we are going to be sincere in preventing individuals from obtaining public funds while also using illegal drugs, then we should start with the people who have the greatest impact on state dollars, politicians,” said Senator Turner.

The legislation would require drug testing of all General Assembly members once a year, but the drug tests will be administered on a random basis. Legislators would pay for the drug testing first and then they would be reimbursed for the cost of the test once a negative test result is received. A refusal to submit to drug testing would result in the forfeiture of the politicians pay.

“As members of the General Assembly we have a great deal of responsibility. Millions of tax payer dollars are spent based on legislation that we pass. Elected officials should be held to same level of accountability as a single mother receiving food stamps,” said Senator Turner. “If we want to ‘protect’ the tax payers investments, then what we ask of our citizens shouldn’t be different from what we ask from our politicians.”

If the elected official tests positive for illegal drug use, then they would be automatically enrolled into the Emergency Assistance Program (EAP) through the state of Ohio. The elected official will forfeit their pay check and will not be compensated for future service until they have undergone drug treatment through EAP and have tested negative for illegal drugs 30 days after the original positive test.

Lawsuit Filed Against JobsOhio

Senator Michael Skindell speaks at a news conference to announce a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of JobsOhio.

Senator Smith August 2011 E-Newsletter

Smith August 2011 E-newsletter

Senator Tavares Attends 2011 NCSL Legislative Summit

Columbus – State Senator Charleta B. Tavares (D–Columbus) recently attended the National Conference of State Legislators’ (NCSL) 2011 Legislative Summit. Senator Tavares attended the conference as a member of the Health Committee. She was appointed to the committee by Senate President Tom Niehaus earlier this year.

“Serving on a national committee is critical to broadening my perspective on issues that Ohio and other states around the country are experiencing,” said Senator Tavares. “This is an opportunity to develop solutions along with my colleagues from across the nation.”

During the Summit, members of the Health Committee held discussions focusing on Medicaid reform and funding, healthcare workforce development and streamlining financing for Medicare and Medicaid. As a result, Senator Tavares will be working on legislation to address healthcare workforce shortages with our federally qualified heath centers.

Senator Tavares also participated in the NCSL Women’s Legislative Network. Senator Tavares will be working on to address women’s health issues and women serving in the military.

“Women comprise 20 percent of our U.S. Military and they have unique issues and problems,” said Senator Tavares. “Colonel Kimberly Olson of Grace After Fire indicated that targeted resources are needed to ensure that female soldiers and veterans’ needs are addressed. Unfortunately, many times resources are not used to address challenges that these women face.”

The Legislative Summit was held from August 8 through August 10, 2011. The Summit’s primary goal was to provide solutions to pertinent state-level legislative issues. The NCSL Summit included 12 committees, more than 150 sessions, and 36 nationally renowned speakers. The summit has been described as “the largest and most important meeting of the year for legislators and legislative staff”.

News Update on Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus

Senator Sawyer Announces Funds for University of Akron and Wingfoot Lake

Columbus – Senator Tom Sawyer (D-Akron) is pleased to announce the State Controlling Board today approved the release of $175,000 to the Department of Natural Resources from the Trust for Public Land. The Funds will be used to purchase the final 20 acres at the Goodyear Wingfoot Lake property.

“Goodyear Wingfoot Lake has played an historic role in the lives of many Goodyear employees over the years. Goodyear’s efforts to make the land publicly available to people of northeast Ohio started in 2009,” said Senator Sawyer. “This is the final step in a series of steps that the company began and the state is finishing in making this land a recreational asset for thousands of people in northeast Ohio.”

The property includes shoreline, wood lots and open areas. It also hosts various waterfowl, fish populations and bald eagles. The Department of Natural Resources hopes to protect critical habitats and increase fishing opportunities with the land acquisition. Currently, Summit, Cuyahoga and Stark counties all rank in the top ten counties in Ohio for hunting and fishing license sales.

The State Controlling Board today also approved the release of $1.4 million to the University of Akron. The funds will be used to purchase 2.4 acres from Interstate Brands Corporation for campus development.

“This new land acquisition is essential to the educational development of the University of Akron,” said Senator Sawyer. “Located in the central area of campus, the land will help the university in its long-term development plans.”

The property will house grounds maintenance, vehicle and equipment storage. The land was most recently used for production, distribution and retail of Wonder Bread and Hostess products. The purchase of the land will not increase tuition or scholarship funding for students.

The State Controlling Board provides legislative oversight over certain capital and operating expenditures by state agencies and has approval authority over various other state fiscal activities. Senator Sawyer serves as the only Democratic Senator on the board.

Senator Cafaro to Introduce Caylee's Law in Ohio Senate

Columbus – Senate Democratic Leader Capri S. Cafaro (D-Hubbard) announced today that she is drafting legislation to make it a felony crime if parents, guardians or caregivers fail to report to law enforcement the death or disappearance of a child in a timely manner.

The legislation is named after Caylee Anthony, the two year old Florida girl whose death gained national attention. Caylee’s grandparents used to live in Trumbull County which is part of Senator Cafaro’s Senate District.

“Like many Americans I followed the investigation into Caylee’s death very closely,” said Senator Cafaro. “Her family’s connection to the Mahoning Valley made it feel even more personal to me and many of my constituents. It is my hope that this terrible tragedy will lead to changes in our laws that will prevent a similar situation from happening in Ohio.”

Senator Cafaro’s legislation will include the following provisions when it is drafted by the Legislative Service Commission:

• Must report the death of a child (up to the age of 17) within one hour upon learning of the death.
• Must report the disappearance of child age 12 and under within 24 hours and within 48 hours for a child age 13-17.
• Define caregiver as any adult responsible for the welfare of a child including a babysitter, friend or relative.
• Increase the penalty for giving false information to a police officer from a first degree misdemeanor to a low level felony.

Senator Cafaro has submitted a co-sponsor request to her colleagues in the Ohio Senate with the goal of building wide bipartisan support for this child protection legislation.

Senator Cafaro's Column for Ashtabula Star Beacon

There is nothing more fundamental in a democracy than the right to vote. Of all governmental functions, the ability to carry out fair and open elections should be paramount. Unfortunately, the Republican controlled Senate just passed legislation that will make it more difficult for Ohioans to vote.

The legislation, known as House Bill 194, drastically cuts early voting from 35 to just ten days. HB 194 also prohibits early voting on Sundays and limits weekend voting to just one Saturday. This will hurt hard working Ohioans who need the flexibility to vote around their work schedules.

Just as troubling is a provision in the legislation that drops the requirement for poll workers to assist voters in finding the correct precinct and another that throws out ballots even where the voter’s choice is abundantly clear.

The timeframe for mail-in absentee voting has also been shortened. All these changes will lead to unnecessary confusion when Ohioans next go to the polls, especially when you consider we overhauled our voting procedures just five years ago.

The General Assembly should focus its efforts on encouraging more Ohioans to participate in our democracy by making it easier to vote. HB 194 is a giant step backward.

Nearly 1.3 Million Siganatures Collected to Repeal Senate Bill 5

Democratic State Senators and Representatives particiapted in a parade that delivered nearly 1.3 million signatures to the Secretary of State's Office for a referendum to repeal Senate Bill 5. The anti-worker legislation takes away collective bargaining rights for police officers, firefighters, teachers and other public employees in Ohio.

Senator Tavares Passes Nurses Bill

Columbus – Senator Charleta B. Tavares (D–Columbus) and joint sponsor Senator Scott Oelslager (R–North Canton) successfully passed Senate Bill 83, the Advanced Practice Nurse Bill, out of the Senate today with a 23 to one vote. Senate Bill 83 will modify the authority of an Advanced Practice Nurse to prescribe schedule II drugs in specified medical facilities.

“Senate Bill 83 provides another option to expand comprehensive health care to Ohio’s residents,” said Senator Tavares. “Advanced Practice Nurses (APN) will become a part of the medical team with collaborating physicians to prescribe schedule II-V drugs in Ohio; joining 33 other states.”

Senate Bill 83 is Senator Tavares’ first bill to pass out of the Senate. The bill will allow APN’s to prescribe schedule II drugs under a Standard Care Agreement with their collaborating physician. The physician would decide whether or not their APN could prescribe these drugs under the agreement.

Other safeguards include requiring APN’s with a certificate to prescribe to complete an additional six hours of continuing education related to schedule II medications and prescribing prior to the renewal of their license.

“We are protecting the patient while expanding health care services,” said Senator Tavares.

Ohio Senate Passes State Budget That Imposes Devastating Cuts on Schools and Local Governments

Columbus – Senate Democratic Leader Capri S. Cafaro (D-Hubbard) and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus today voted “no” on the final version of the biennial state budget (HB 153). The budget imposes massive and devastating cuts on Ohio’s public schools and local governments and gives the Governor broad powers to privatize valuable state assets.

“The state of Ohio has effectively balanced its budget by unbalancing the budgets for school districts and local governments across the state,” said Senator Cafaro. “It’s pass the buck budgeting that sticks local tax payers with the bill. I fear the result will be more layoffs, reduced public services and higher local taxes.”

The budget plan slashes the local government fund by 50% in fiscal year 2013 and cuts funding for local schools by an estimated $2.8 billion over the next two years according to a coalition of school officials.

Senate Democrats offered an amendment in the budget conference committee that would allocate school funding on a fairer and broader basis. However, majority Republicans rejected the amendment and chose to give additional money to wealthy school districts at the expense of urban and poor districts.

The budget (HB 153) also permits the sale of six prisons, sets the stage for leasing the Ohio Turnpike and gives cities the authority to sell or lease their parking meters to private companies.

“I am deeply concerned this rush to privatize valuable public assets will end up being a bad deal for taxpayers,” said Senator Cafaro. “These assets belong to the citizens of Ohio and they should not be sold off at rock bottom prices.”

Senator Cafaro also expressed concern about the continued assault on workers’ rights that began with Senate Bill 5. A provision of HB 153 specifically prohibits collective bargaining for employees of charter schools.

Senator Turner Talks About Budget Cuts on NBC4

State Senator Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) talked to NBC4 in Columbus about the devastating impact that Republican budget cuts will have on local governments across Ohio.

Senate Democrats Discuss Budget Vote

Members of the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus talk about why they voted against Governor Kasich's budget plan for the State of Ohio--a plan that will cost jobs and inflict devastating cuts on schools and local governments.