The Ohio General Assembly left the Statehouse Thursday, likely until September. That's when donation-scrounging for November's election peaks.
Before Ohio's 132 statespeople left Columbus, they sent Gov. John Kasich two mid-biennium budget review bills (MBRs). Both bills are as much grab bags as budget measures. What Kasich's Republican administration and the legislature's Republican leaders want you to remember, though, is that one bill "cuts taxes." The other bill "helps schools."
You aren't supposed to ask why a "budget" bill that "helps schools" (House Bill 487) will also likely clear the way for chiropractors to diagnose and treat student athletes' concussions. And you also aren't supposed to wonder why another "budget" bill, which "cuts taxes" (House Bill 483), may keep further wind-energy projects out of Ohio. That's the Ohio that now gets 69.7 percent of its electricity from coal.
The reason "budget" bills have such nonbudget items is that bills written by six-member Senate-House conference committees become piñatas. Stuffed inside are pet causes and pet peeves cherished by General Assembly leaders and their lobbying pals. A "conference report," unlike other legislation, can't be amended. The House and Senate must vote the conference report up or down as a unit. So if you're an Ohio legislator wanting to vote to "help schools" or "cut taxes," you also must say "yes" to oceans of unrelated hooey.
One protection for taxpayers is that Kasich has the constitutional power to veto individual parts ("items") of bills such as the MBRs while signing off on the remainder. It takes 60 votes in the 99-member House to override a veto, 20 votes in the 33-member state Senate.
Kasich vetoed something close to the chiropractor-concussion provision, but not identical, last year. As for wind energy, Senate President Keith Faber, a Celina Republican, says requiring bigger property setbacks for windmills – what the wind amendment does – protects the property rights of people who own land next to wind farms. Kasich is between a rock and a hard place; he is preparing to sign Senate Bill 310, a two-year freeze on Ohio's renewable-energy and energy-efficiency law, which will irk an array of people. Letting the wind amendment stand will irk them worse. But Kasich needs Keith Faber as an ally, not a foe.
A stopgap compromise: Install wind turbines inside the Ohio House and state Senate chambers. Both produce enough wind to light a small city. You have to wonder, meanwhile, how far any anti-wind energy bills would get in Columbus if electric companies such as, say, Akron's FirstEnergy, owned lots of wind turbines rather than coal-, gas- and nuclear-fueled power plants.
The main MBR, House Bill 483, which includes the anti-wind farm amendment, passed the Senate 23-9. Sen. Shirley Smith of Cleveland was the only Senate Democrat to vote "yes;" Sen. Kris Jordan of Powell the only Senate Republican to vote "no." The House tally on HB 483 was 61-33. Democrats voting "yes" were Reps. John Barnes and Bill Patmon, both Clevelanders, and Akron's Zack Milkovich. Rep. Terry Boose of Norwalk was the only Republican "no."
The education MBR, House Bill 487, which includes the concussion amendment, also passed the Senate 23-9, with Cleveland's Smith again a "yes," and Powell's Jordan again a "no." The House vote on HB 487 was 62-34; Barnes, Milkovich and Patmon again were the only Democrats voting "yes," while Rep. Matt Lynch of Chagrin Falls was the only Republican voting "no."
Then, having taught Bob Evans and Jimmy Dean a thing or two about making sausage, Ohio's 130th General Assembly, seemingly proud of its craftsmanship, headed home for the summer.
Thomas Suddes, a member of the editorial board, writes from Athens.
To reach Thomas Suddes: firstname.lastname@example.org, 216-999-4689