RH Jones on Brian Williams' letter to the editor re: HB 79

RH Jones to Lyn Falk, January 2, 2007

Subject: Re: Copy - Letter to the Editor H.B. 79 from Rep. Brian G. Williams

Lyn,

If a majority can "suspend the Rules" legislation is needed that makes it unlawful to do so. Minority rights must be repected in a democracy.

RHJones

---

Lyn Falk to RH Jones, January 2, 2007

Subject: RE: Copy - Letter to the Editor H.B. 79 from Rep. Brian G. Williams

Amen

Procedure is under what is called “House Rules” – sort of the Standard Operating Manual for OHR.

They keep doing what is called “suspending the rules,” and we can’t stop them unless we are in the Majority

It is really unbelievable but I will cc Brian on this email

Lyn Falk, Legislative Aide

to BRIAN G. WILLIAMS, State Representative

Ohio House District 41 (Akron & NW Summit County)

614-644-5085
----

RH Jones to Lyn Falk, January 2, 2007

Subject: Re: Copy - Letter to the Editor H.B. 79 from Rep. Brian G. Williams

Rep. Brian Williams Rep. Bob Otterman and to all :

Re: A need for a HB to limit altering bills with amendments that are unrelated to the primary intent of the bill. And a 2nd HB is needed to guarantee time for public debate.

When I first read the Beacon 12/21/06 article by Reporter Warsmith, I was dismayed that Reps Williams & Otterman -- both Democrats -- had voted for it; however, after finding out why, I probably would have done the same thing. Had I been a Rep., I would have had to vote for it too. They had no choice! It would be political suicide to have voted against a bill that protects children, even if strong laws are already on the books. Williams and Otterman were put "between a rock and a hard place", "the devil and the deep blue sea" and "over a barrel". They had to vote to "save their necks".

This is explained in the attachment from Williams. And Otterman explained to the SummitCRTA Chair, Dr. Fluke, that had they not voted for bill, it would have opened up even more money for vouchers. They explained that HB 79 was two separate issues.

My opinion is: Dual-issue bills should be unlawful. No more separate issues in one numbered HB, PERIOD! A law to stop this unethical practice has to be passed. No representative Democrat, Republican, or Independent, should have to put up with this; and, neither should the public. Citizen debate time is essential to democracy.

Midnight House Bills must not be allowed. It is unreasonable to expect a representative to thoughtfully read a bill and to vote intelligently at that late hour.

Finally, contrary to Rep. Brian Williams, this retired teacher does not support vouchers and charter schools under ANY circumstances. Vouchers have shown to take public funds away from our democratic public school system and has funneled it into the pockets of greedy entrepreneurs and their cronies. Because of it, both education in Ohio and the STRS has suffered negatively. Public funding of vouchers/charters and home schooling have shown to be a failed experiment.

Robert Hudson Jones, a retired STRS member

---

From Lyn Falk, January 2, 2007

Subject: Copy - Letter to the Editor H.B. 79 from Rep. Brian G. Williams

--

STATE REPRESENTATIVE-Ohio House District 41

Brian G. Williams
1725 Brookwood Dr. Akron, Ohio 44313
330-864-8477

December 29, 2006

To The Editor:

I wish to add clarification to my vote on House Bill 79 which was reported on by Stephanie Warsmith in the Beacon Journal on December 21, 2006. I supported HB 79 when it passed out of the House in May of 2005 and was sent to the Senate where it sat until earlier this month when it was amended in a Conference Committee and sent back to the House for concurrence. There were several amendments that had to do with Charter Schools, some of which were good in that they make them more accountable. One of the amendments increased the number of students eligible to receive vouchers…though it DID NOT increase the number of vouchers available. I continue to oppose vouchers and charter schools as educational experiments until/unless the State follows the DeRolph Supreme Court Decision and provides a constitutional school- funding program that results in reducing over-reliance on local property taxes and assumes this responsibility at the state level.

Now for the rest of the story: I voted for HB79, notwithstanding my opposition to the voucher amendment, because it is –in my opinion—generally a good bill and should go far toward removing teachers who violate their “caregiver” role and take advantage of innocent children under their control and supervision. Since the State Department of Education controls teaching certificates and licenses, HB 79 increases the State Department’s involvement in instances where a teacher or other license/certificate holder may be involved in child abuse (physical or sexual). The bill increases the instances where teachers must undergo criminal background checks; requires local school boards to report teacher criminal convictions to the state; requires Children Services Boards to report evidence of child abuse against school staff to the State Department of Education; and most importantly, requires local school officials to share information of possible teacher child abuse/child sexual abuse with the State Superintendent of Schools. These requirements of HB 79 (and others), should reduce the practice of passing problem teachers from one school district to another and will heighten the involvement the State in determining if a certificate/license should be revoked.

It is regrettable that the majority party in this latest “lame duck” session chose—once again—to alter a good bill (HB 79) with unrelated voucher amendments…and did so in the dead of night at the very end of the 126th General Assembly, when little if any public testimony/debate could take place!! However, on balance, I believe I did the right thing in supporting a bill that should reduce the instance where children may be taken advantage of by unscrupulous teachers or others in the school setting.

Thank you.

Brian G. Williams

State Representative

41st House District

---

Lyn Falk, Legislative Aide

Ohio House District 41

Brian G. Williams, State Representative

Serving parts of Akron, Bath, Boston Hgts., Copley, Cuyahoga Falls, Fairlawn, Macedonia, Northfield, Norton, Peninsula, Richfield, Reminderville, Sagamore Hills and Twinsburg

Fax: 614-719-6941