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State Senator Faber...
More information on
the Ohio Senate Budget
June 9, 2011
Editor's Note: See Related Links below.
Greetings to all of my friends in the 12th Senate District. It is
with great pleasure I inform you that as of yesterday, June 8th, the
Ohio Senate passed Ohio’s new budget bill for the biennium. After
countless hours of committee and hearing testimony, we have finally
produced a reform-focused budget that reduces spending and eliminates
an $8 billion dollar shortfall while allowing Ohioans to keep more than
$800 million in tax cuts that went into place on January 1st of this
year.
This biennial budget was both difficult and unprecedented. No
former administration has ever been asked to correct an $8 billion
deficit. Not only were we able to accomplish this feat, but we
did so without raising taxes on the residents of this great
state. In fact, we implemented a tax cut that Ted Strickland
postponed. During such turbulent economic times, it would simply
be wrong to put this $8 billion deficit on the back of the taxpayer.
The cuts were difficult, but I’m proud of the work we have done to
bring some much-needed fiscal responsibility back to Columbus. At the
same time, we focused the limited resources we have on important
priorities such as funding for our schools and support of local
governments.
The Senate budget provides additional support for public education by
adding $115 million to ensure every school district in Ohio will
receive at least their current level of basic state aid (excluding
federal stimulus funding) over the next two years. The additional
funding includes $30 million in incentives to reward high-quality
schools that achieve a rating of either excellent or excellent with
distinction.
Also under the Senate plan, baseline local government support increases
to $750,000, meaning that counties that receive $750,000 or less from
the state’s local government fund will not see any cuts. This will
especially benefit smaller rural counties that have a greater reliance
on state support.
Some of you weren’t happy with how things were going on Capitol
Square. Many of my constituents who are public employees talked
about their pay freezes and financial sacrifices they have made to stay
employed. Some of you demanded that politicians not be shielded
from the woes of the economy. And you’re absolutely right.
That’s why I’m proud to inform you that in this budget bill there is a
legislative pay cut provision. I worked diligently on this
provision and offered it during Finance Committee. Despite
receiving some opposition from my colleagues across the aisle, the
provision was ultimately accepted because many of us knew that this was
fair and just.
Constituents of the 12th Senate District, I promise you that I have
kept your best interests in mind while diligently working on this
budget. Some of the amendments that I added to this bill include
the following:
“Distressed” Watersheds; Lake Facilities Authority
Authorizes the creation of Lake Facilities Authorities for the purpose
of remediating watersheds declared by the Director of Natural Resources
to be a “watershed in distress.”
Increased Dredging Funds
Increases funds available to the Department of Natural Resources for
dredging by $1.5 million each year.
Grand Lake St. Mary’s Algae Mitigation
Redirects funding to combat the toxic algae bloom outbreak on Grand
Lake St. Mary’s that is causing deterioration of the water quality and
making the lake unusable for recreational activity.
Use Tax Amnesty Program
Helps small businesses by creating a use tax amnesty program to run
from the effective date of the legislation to May 1, 2013, and
prohibits the tax commissioner from assessing any taxpayer
participating in the program for outstanding use tax
liability incurred before January 1, 2010.
I can’t emphasize how excited I am to see this budget pass. This
is the beginning of new era for Ohio, an end to reckless spending and a
period of living within our means. By erasing this deficit, we
are giving the economy in Ohio a chance to once again thrive and bring
business back to this great state. It has been a pleasure
listening to the opinions and suggestions of all of you, and it has
been a pleasure serving in the interest of my constituents. I
thank you again for all of your support and God bless.
Sincerely,
Keith Faber
President Pro Tempore
12th Senate District
News
Columbus Dispatch, Budget Analysis… Read it here
Toledo Blade, Harsh Cuts… Read it here
Newark Advocate, Lawmaker Pay Cut… Read it here
Columbus Dispatch, Prevailing Wage… Read it here
Dayton Daily News, JobsOhio Changed… Read it here
Blogs
Columbus Dispatch, Kasich Cleaned It Up… Read it here
Dayton Daily News, Tax Breaks Not Free… Read it here
Chillicothe Gazette, Optional Medicaid… Read it here
Representatatives
From the Senate Majority Caucus… Read it here
Senator Faber's Comments... Read it here
Senator Beagle's Comments... Read it here
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