SOUR GRAPES LEGISLATURE ENDS ON AN UGLY NOTE
ENDS ON AN UGLY NOTE
After Ohio citizens soundly rejected pay-to-play politics Nov. 8, ‘sour grapes’ legislators – many in their last voting days – have sided against Ohioans in a brazen display of pay-to-play revenge legislation.
“The citizens of Ohio deserve better than a bunch of legislators meeting at Tony’s Bar and scheming revenge legislation which suddenly is in hearings the next day,” said Brian Rothenberg, Executive Director of ProgressOhio.org. Tony’s Restaurant is a popular Statehouse watering hole.
“Given the ticking of the clock, Governor Taft has the ultimate veto pen in this situation if he would veto legislation at the 11th hour, by leaving no time for legislative over-ride. We urge the Governor to veto this legislation.” Among the revenge packages at the Statehouse are bills:
• Punishing labor, progressives and Ohioans for passing Issue 2:
o Legislators sided with donor corporations over two million Ohioans who voted for the minimum wage: Using questionable enabling legislation to protect bad-apple employers who failed to pay minimum wage and eliminating the wage for health care workers, fire fighters and other citizens.
• Punishing Ohioans for electing an active consumer-oriented Attorney General:
o Protecting Corporations over Consumers and children:
• Limited non-economic damages to $5,000 for consumer fraud: “Sour grapes legislators added this corporate Christmas gift to an unrelated bill. Beware of those scam artists, as these lame duck legislators have sided with the unscrupulous over their constituents.
• Limited damages to children brain-damaged by lead paint exposure: Siding with large paint manufacturers over children, the Ohio legislature is attempting to protect paint manufacturers from exposure to lawsuits and capping damages for children suffering brain injury and learning disability from lead exposure.
• Punishing Ohioans for electing bi-partisan government by attacking the Administrations of Governor-elect Strickland and other statewide officeholders ability to govern.
o Changing the laws for rule-making and giving them the power to create gridlock in state agencies: In a bold effort at ‘sour grapes’ GOP legislators seemingly over-night changed laws over rule-making to give more legislative power to alter or block administration rules which can make it difficult for the executive branch to effectively govern.
• Punishing journalists and honest government groups because of “pay-to-play” investigations by closing legislative public sessions:
o Allowing House and Senate committees to meet in closed sessions outside of public view. On the heels of losing power over the Noe investigation and a variety of pay-to-play revelations, the General Assembly passed a law allowing itself closed-door meetings outside of public view.
• Punishing urban communities by eroding the Ohio Constitution’s rights of local control (home-rule):
o Over-riding of local laws involving gun regulation including assault weapons.
o Over-riding local laws concerning red-light cameras.
“You can tell the audacity of this revenge legislation when you consider that there are literally hundreds of bills that have had hearings the past two years and lie dormant, but these bills miraculously pop up one day and move to committee the next day,” said Rothenberg.
Tim Burga of the Ohio AFL-CIO and co-chair of Ohioans for a Fair Minimum Wage said “HB 690 goes beyond bad politics – it’s bad public policy.” He added that “The Coalition attempted to address the concerns of our opponents raised during the campaign and we met with the wage and hour division. At every step we have tried to do the right thing for the people of Ohio while our opponents have sought only to appease the narrow self-interest of their supporters.”
“What is really sour is the fact that Ohioans passed a Constitutional Amendment for the Minimum Wage and legislators are attempting a month later to allow opt-outs for corporations speaks volumes about the arrogance of this legislative activity,” said Rothenberg It is time for this Legislature – repudiated at the November ballot box -- to go home. Governor Taft has the opportunity to let will of the people elected November 8 to make these decisions.”
ProgressOhio.org
posted by Kathie Bracy at 9:01 PM
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