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Monday, March 21, 2011
Legislation would require photo ID to vote
Legislation to require photo identification for voters who cast their ballots on election day or cast absentee ballots in person is expected to come up for a House committee vote on Tuesday.
Under current voter ID requirements, there have been instances of people voting more than once, said Rep. Lou Blessing, R-Cincinnati, joint sponsor of House Bill 159. Blessing also is House speaker pro tem, the House’s number two leadership post.
“Anybody and everybody will be able to get an ID that doesn’t have one at no cost,” Blessing said.
Ellis Jacobs, senior attorney for the nonprofit Advocates for Basic Legal Equality in Dayton, said, however, that the bill would make it harder for people to vote.
“It creates an obstacle course for the 11 percent of the public that doesn’t have an ID,” said Jacobs.
Under current law, a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document showing the voter’s name and address may be used as well as photo ID to vote on election day or to cast an absentee ballot in person.
House Bill 159 would continue to allow forms of ID other than photo ID to be used for those casting absentee ballots by mail.
Photo IDs acceptable under the bill would be:
*Ohio driver’s license
*Ohio identification card
*U.S. military identification card
*U.S. passport
The bill would require the Registrar of Motor Vehicles and deputy registrars to set up a system to provide a state ID card free if an applicant produces evidence that he can’t afford the fees for such a document.
Secretary of State Jon Husted, the state’s top elections officer, has not taken a position on the bill but is working with the committee chairman to find the “right balance between voter access and elections accuracy,” said Matt McClellan, spokesman for Husted.
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TweetKasich’s pension proposal throws OPERS, STRS out of compliance
Gov. John Kasich’s plan to shift more pension costs to public workers would throw the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System and the State Teachers Retirement System out of compliance with a state law that the pension fund can pay all its liabilities over a 30-year window.
Kasich’s budget proposal includes making public employees contribute 12 percent of their wages toward their pensions, up from 10 percent, and then reducing the amount that state and local governments have to pay by 2 percentage points.
But OPERS officials said, “The change to a 12/12 contribution rate and the potential loss of statewide public-sector jobs would actuarially increase the OPERS amortization period to a minimum of 36.5 years, assuming all of the proposed OPERS plan design changes are enacted.”
STRS estimates that the change to 12/12 would bump its funding period to 45.6 years.
The OPERS and STRS boards approved changes to shore up their fiscal positions. The pension reform bill is expected to be approved around the same time as Kasich’s budget bill at the end of June.
OPERS includes 537,000 workers, retirees and beneficiaries while STRS includes 317,000.
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TweetFaith leaders to speak out against collective bargaining limits
A coalition of faith leaders has scheduled a Columbus press conference for Tuesday, March 22, to speak out against Senate Bill 5, legislation limiting collective bargaining rights for public employees.
More than 100 faith leaders have signed a statement “calling for lawmakers to oppose Senate Bill 5 and come up with solutions to create unity in Ohio,” a press release said.
The statement will be released at the press conference, said Andy Richards, spokesman for the Ohio AFL-CIO.
Supporters, including Gov. John Kasich, say the legislation is needed to give state and local governments the flexibility they need to serve taxpayers best during tough economic times and to strike a balance between public employees and the governments that employ them.
Opponents say the bill goes too far in taking away bargaining rights that have provided a stable working relationship between public employees - including teachers, police and firefighters - and local governments and school boards since the collective bargaining law was passed in 1983.
The House now is considering the legislation, which earlier was passed in the Senate, 17-16.
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TweetU.S. Rep. Jordan, state Sen. Faber to speak at school choice rally
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, and state Sen. Keith Faber, R-Celina, are among the speakers scheduled to speak a school choice rally on Tuesday, March 22 on the west lawn of the Statehouse in Columbus.
The rally comes just after Gov. John Kasich’s introduction of a proposed two-year state budget that would permit more vouchers and charter schools throughout the state.
The rally is set for 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
After the rally, participants are to meet with legislators to advocate for school choice options.
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