Questions continue over ‘Zuckerbucks’ Ohio election law change: Capitol Letter - cleveland.com

Rotunda Rumblings

Unintended consequences: Concern continues over a recent change in elections law tucked in the state budget. As Andrew Tobias writes, prosecutors in Seneca and Greene counties, and several activist groups, have written Attorney General Dave Yost, asking him to clarify that language barring collaboration between government officials, including elections workers, and private organizations isn’t meant to apply to routine work elections officials might do. Meanwhile, Ohio Elections Officials Association is lobbying state lawmakers to clarify the law, which state lawmakers passed to try to prevent a repeat of 2020 when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg granted millions of dollars for elections administration in Ohio and other states.

Money for the young and old: Among spending in House Bill 169, a coronavirus bill the Ohio House sent to Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday, is $300 million for nursing homes and $639 million for child-care centers. Laura Hancock looks at the parameters lawmakers created when nursing homes spend the money and how child advocates want Gov. Mike DeWine to veto a provision temporarily removing child-care providers from requiring that they participate in a quality care program.

Shrinking election season: The Ohio House voted 68-24 to pass House Bill 458, which would end most August special elections in Ohio. As Tobias writes, the move will have consequences for schools and local governments which often target the low-turnout elections for tax hike requests. Backers say the move will block schools from trying to hike taxes when voters aren’t paying attention, while opponents say it will reduce the chances schools and other local governments will have to ask for more money. The bill has exceptions for special elections to fill an empty congressional seat or for governments in a state-declared fiscal emergency.

Testimony sought: Republican congressional candidate Max Miller of Rocky River announced Thursday that he’s received notice that the January 6th Select Committee will issue him a subpoena, Sabrina Eaton writes. Miller, who worked as a White House to former President Donald Trump and worked on Trump’s campaign, issued a press statement that said he will “accept service of this subpoena, but I will defend my rights - just as I will defend the rights of my constituents when elected. Upon taking office, I will make sure one of my first votes is to disband this partisan committee that has weaponized its powers against innocent Americans. Ohioans are tired of watching D.C.’s witch hunts and political theater while the country burns. Sadly, it’s the only card the Democrats can play, because their policies are destroying our nation.”

Farm fresh: The Ohio House also unanimously passed House Bill 440, an initiative backed by state Treasurer Robert Sprague aimed at reducing borrowing costs for farmers. The bill makes non-profit farming cooperatives newly eligible for the state’s linked deposit program, in which the state promises to make a matching deposit for any farm loan the bank issues. In exchange, the bank offers a lower interest rate to the farmer than it would otherwise. The bill now heads to the Senate.

House House Bill: The Ohio House also passed House Bill 186, which would create a first-time homebuyers’ savings account, similar to a 529 college savings account, that would allow someone to deduct up to $15,000 put into a savings account to be used for down payment or closing costs. It now heads to the Senate.

Buh-bye: House Speaker Bob Cupp announced that next week’s “as needed” session would not be needed. That means Thursday’s session was the Ohio House’s last of the calendar year.

COVID admissions: Sixty-two percent of the coronavirus-related hospital admissions were in Northern Ohio, Laura Hancock reports. However, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff is hesitant to follow Indiana and call up the Ohio National Guard to assist in hard-hit hospitals because the guard members called would be highly trained medical professionals who would be taken away from their communities: “Yes, it is more acute to the north, it’s not like any part of Ohio is doing real well,” he said.

Cases climb: On Thursday, Ohio had 718.5 coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents, an increase from last week’s 601.1. Hancock writes that the latest high is above the peak during the first part of the delta wave, when there were 698.7 cases per 100,000 residents on Sept. 23.

Sticking by their guns: U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs, a Holmes County Republican, has introduced legislation in Congress that would allow Amish people to buy guns without photo identification, writes Eaton. Gibbs bill calls for allowing people such as the Amish whose religious beliefs interfere with possessing photo identification to allow firearms purchases with state-certified IDs that lack pictures. The Amish regard photographs as “graven images” forbidden by the Biblical Second Commandment.

Back to the drawing board: A proposed initiated statute to ban vaccine requirements in Ohio failed its first procedural step on Thursday. As Tobias writes, Attorney General Dave Yost said the group behind the proposal failed to summarize the law in its petition language accurately. Petition backers, which include a leading anti-vaccine activist in Ohio, now have the option of collecting 1,000 more signatures, fix the language and try again.

Oops: An item in Thursday’s newsletter about the passing of Esther’s Law inaccurately described where the bill is in the legislative process. Senate Bill 58, aka “Esther’s Law,” which would allow nursing home residents or their guardians install a camera in their rooms to deter abuse and allow loved ones to check in on them, passed the Senate unanimously Wednesday. It now heads to Gov. Mike DeWine.

Subpoenas sent: Lawyers for a former FirstEnergy executive are seeking records from a variety of state officials. As Laura Bischoff writes for the Columbus Dispatch, Michael Dowling’s attorneys, as part of an ongoing class-action shareholders lawsuit, have issued subpoenas to two dark-money groups -- Generation Now and Partners For Progress – asking for records documenting communications with the governor’s office, the lieutenant governor’s office and a number of other figures in state government and politics. Dowling was fired last year in the aftermath of the emergence of the House Bill 6 corruption scandal.

Buckeye Brain Tease

Question: Who was the first person to serve a third term as Ohio governor?

Email your response to [email protected]. The first correct respondent will be mentioned in next week’s newsletter.

Thanks to everyone who responded to last week’s trivia question:

Which Ohio city repealed its 20-plus year ban on general admission, festival-style seating for concerts in 2004?

Answer: Cincinnati banned festival style seating following a disastrous 1979 concert by The Who at which 11 people died. The deaths occurred after a crowd of concert goers surged into two entrance doors at Riverfront Coliseum, mistaking a late sound check by the band for the beginning of the concert. City council repealed the ban in 2004 after city officials felt it made them less competitive in attracting premier acts. The Who plans to play a 2022 show in the Cincinnati area, which would be the band’s first performance in the city since the disaster, according to WCPO.

Capitol Letter reader Kyle Koehler, a Republican state representative from Springfield, was the first to provide the correct answer.

Birthdays

Friday, 12/10: State Rep. Sedrick Denson

Saturday, 12/11: Matt Donahue, Gov. Mike DeWine’s chief legal counsel; Levi Gross, legislative aide to state Rep. Tracy Richardson; Christina Hagan, former state lawmaker and 2018/2020 congressional candidate; Derek Chancellor, Southwest Ohio liaison for Lt. Gov. Jon Husted

Straight From The Source

“Have all members voted? Going once, going twice: Gone! The clerk will take the roll.”

- House Speaker Bob Cupp during Thursday’s House session, calling for a vote on House Bill 321, which loosens requirements for becoming a licensed auctioneer. The bill cleared the House 85-4.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.

source: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2021/12/questions-continue-over-zuckerbucks-ohio-election-law-change-capitol-letter.html

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