March 23 Meeting

State Representative Kristina Daley Roegner
          Governor's budget: 4 points
                1) Medicare Expansion
                2) Tax changes
                3) School funding changes.
                4) Spending rising 1 billion in first year, 500 million second year.

          Medicare Expansion - She is against.Governor has proposed it, House will vote on it in a few weeks, then send to Senate. Just a proposal, not a done deal.Federal Government pays 100% first year, slowly drops to 90% over 10 years.

           Tax changes - Lower income tax 20%, but will now tax services. Service tax will have profound impact on Ohio businesses. Example: UPS would be taxed, competing with USPS which is not taxed.

           School funding changes - New proposals to fund schooling. No districts lose money, recalculates how we fund districts

           Spending Increase - ~500 million in Medicare increase. This in not Medicare Expansion, this is expected cost of new enrolees in Medicare due to penalties in Obamacare. ~400 million increase in education funding.


State Senator Frank LaRose
            Transportation budget:  Change in Turnpike Lease, if you use easy pass and drive less than 30 miles at a time on the turnpike, rates will not increase for 10 years. Increases limited to Inflation and CPI, typically 2.71% per year.

           Governors Budget: It is a bold document looking for new ideas and started a lot of needed discussions. It is a balanced budget, and makes tough choices. Tough choices helped get Ohios credit rating upgraded.

           Need to make sure Ohio can roll back Medicare Expansion if Federal Government does not keep its promise of supplying 90% of funding.

           A lot of concern in Columbus about the ramifications of service tax and the ability to enact the needed changes on time.

           Concerned about education expansion. Need to have reform so that increases in spending correlate to increase in education. Not the trend we see today.

           Need to re-prioritize transportation spending. Sound walls are not very effective, but cost 2 million per mile of road. Federal Government mandates that if you resurface a federal road and the noise increases, you have to build the walls. EPA was given power to regulate sound pollution like all other pollution.

           Oil/gas boom in Ohio. We have 90 years of oil/gas  in Ohio and it is creating jobs and opportunity.

US Senator David Joyce
          Glad to be back in Ohio where we still have comon sense. Best view of DC is from rearview mirror.

          Passed No Budget No Pay act first week in Congress. Senate finally passed budget.

          President using Sequester to scare Americans. 

          Payments on the debt are 50 million

          Voted for Ryan budget, but doesn't like that they keep taxes for Obamacare while defunding the actual act. Why keep the taxes if the act is defunded?