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HungerNetOhio #6.13: “No” to Predatory Budgeting
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Re-balancing the State Budget (Part 2): The Ohio Senate |
A bit of a soap opera continues to play out in the Ohio General Assembly's pursuit of a happy ending to their fiscal drama. Contrasted to the showboat of harmony in cast and characters from the last biennial budget, 2010-11 has been “chock(ed) full of nuts”-with theatric twists of plot, catastrophic outcomes, and potentially a disastrous finale. Four months after props are usually packed and past time to move onto other stages, news service pundits, lobbyist for this and that, and other Statehouse junkies can't even guess when and how this mystery will end. Bound to keep its audience tied in knots, this serial script is still being drafted. What's for sure? House Bill 318! Helping to pick up the pieces of the Governor's original ill-fated comedy for filling the budget deficit--video slots in racetracks--the House of Representatives passed his revised melodrama--postponing tax cuts. They improvised a sub-scenario involving sacrificing their own salaries-a 5% clip-thus, both symbolically, if slightly “feeling the pain” and serving as role models. This package, HB 318, is now in the Senate Finance Committee and, if promises are important and schedules dependable (which they are not necessarily), will be voted on this coming Wednesday. A major wrinkle will come on Tuesday in the form of a substitute bill that could feature flying fur and spots on the wall. Although able to spot humor in these politics, we should be fully conscious of the seriousness of this saga. If no more viable alternate sources of funding are imagined than have been discussed in their last three weeks of hearings, greater budget cuts are inevitable. And human services and those whose lives depend upon them--many of which are severely lacerated and bleeding as a result of previous hatchet approaches to surgical precision--continue to be a great risk.
SHORT
CUT:
For
those who insist, "JUST TELL ME
WHAT TO
DO!"
Contact members of the Senate Finance Committee (*) and ask them to fill that nearly $1,000,000,000 gap by… either passing HB 318 or coming up with options that don't require the poorest of Ohio's poor to bear the brunt of a lack of sensible and compassionate leadership.
The Campaign to Protect Ohio's Future has issued this call:
On Tuesday the 17th, the Senate Finance Committee plans to introduce AM. HB 318, to address the shortfall in the 2010-2011 Biennial Budget. At this point we understand a number of options are still being debated by the majority to address the shortfall. One of the options some have proposed would be yet another across the Board Cut in GRF spending. If this option is enacted - Food Programs could be cut!
It is essential that we quickly reach out to our individual State Senators and explain that any across the Board cuts will fall once again on services such as mental health, developmental disabilities, child protection, county safety services, health care, aging, addiction services, child care and food programs. There is no other GRF money in the budget to cut, and as we all know each of these programs has already been cut to a level that real harm is occurring in the lives of Ohio's citizens. Many maintain that money cannot be taken from Primary and Secondary Education or Higher Education as it will jeopardize federal stimulus dollars. We would maintain if it is taken from these other areas, it will jeopardize human lives.
Key Contacts:
PLEASE YOUR STATE SENATOR (if not on this list, Senate Finance Committee Majority Below) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (Ideally before noon on Monday) AND LET THEM KNOW THAT SUCH A CUT IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SOLUTION TO THIS BUDGET DEFICIT.
Steve Buehrer 614/466-8150 SD01@senate.state.oh.us
John Carey 614/466-8156 SD17@senate.state.oh.us
Gary Cates 466-8072 SD04@senate.state.oh.us
Kevin Coughlin 466-4823 SD27@senate.state.oh.us
Keith Faber 466-7584 SD12@senate.state.oh.us
Bob Gibbs 466-7505 SD22@senate.state.oh.us
Karen Gillmor 466-8049 SD26@senate.state.oh.us
David Goodman 466-8064 SD03@senate.state.oh.us
Timothy Grendell 644-7718 SD18@senate.state.oh.us
Bill Harris 466-8086 SD19@senate.state.oh.us
Jim Hughes 466-5981 SD16@senate.state.oh.us
Jon Husted 466-4538 SD06@senate.state.oh.us
Shannon Jones 466-9737 SD07@senate.state.oh.us
Tom Niehaus 466-8082 SD14@senate.state.oh.us
Thomas Patton 466-8056 SD24@senate.state.oh.us
Tim Schaffer 466-5838 SD31@senate.state.oh.us
Kirk Schuring 466-0626 SD29@senate.state.oh.us
Bill Seitz 466-8068 SD08@senate.state.oh.us
Jimmy Stewart 466-8076 SD20@senate.state.oh.us
Mark Wagoner 466-8060 SD02@senate.state.oh.us
Chris Widener 466-3780 SD10@senate.state.oh.us
Jarring Perspective
As a supplement to personal views about the degree of desperation around us, this Ohio Civic Health Index Report was released last Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the 2009 Ohio Civic Health Symposium held at the Statehouse. The survey was done in conjunction with the Miami University Hamilton Center for Civic Engagement and is one of six state specific reports either issued already or set to be. The other states include California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota and New Hampshire.
Both surveys' results reflect the hard choices Americans and Ohioans have made during the downturn.
Ohio's Civic Health Index Report shows 80 percent of Ohioans surveyed say they have cut back on time spent volunteering, participating in groups, and performing other civic activities in their communities during the past year while the economy was shrinking. This does not mean that four-fifths of our citizens have stopped participating; it means they are participating less, and thus our civic capacity has declined. The depressed economy is reshaping civic engagement in Ohio.
The report finds that Ohioans have been hard hit by the current recession.
o 40 percent of Ohio households had trouble affording essentials, such as food or medicine, compared to 31 percent of national households.
o 30 percent of Ohio households had suffered a job loss by one of its members compared to 20 percent of national households.
o 14 percent of Ohio households reported mortgage problems or had lost a home to foreclosure compared to 7 percent of national households.
The state survey also found that Ohioans support proposals for civic renewal while voicing profound skepticism about public institutions and private sector economic factors:
o Respondents are willing to help others during the economic slump by buying American products (71 percent), giving more food (69 percent) and more money (40 percent), and volunteering more (37 percent).
o Respondents support policy initiatives to institutionalize civic engagement, such as college tuition money in exchange for a year of national or community service (82 percent, service-learning courses in high school (75 percent), and national deliberations on important public issues (71 percent).
o Confidence in Congress (4 percent), the Executive Branch (4 percent), major companies (5 percent), and banks and financial institutions (6 percent) among those surveyed is extremely low.
o Small businesses (36 percent), the science community (25 percent), and organized religion (19 percent) received the most
positive response among those surveyed.
According to the report, Ohio ranks 24th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in its 2009 civic health index score.
The index is compiled from data on volunteering, collaborative problem solving, voting, and participation in local government. Ohio is near the middle of the list on each of these indicators and maintained the same relative state ranking it had in 2008.
Eye-opening Stats and Recommendations
The followed excerpts are from the testimony of Testimony of Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, Executive Director, Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks before Senate Finance and Financial Appropriations Committee on last Tuesday.
I have much to report about the impact of the declining economy on Ohio's most vulnerable citizens, the skyrocketing demand for more food and groceries in the “worst economy in our lifetimes” and the results of HB 1 and HB 66 on the state's inability to provide a safety net for more Ohioans who are unemployed, underemployed, poor children, seniors and the disabled.
The cold hard facts are simple - Poverty and hunger are increasing at alarming rates in Ohio:
o In 2008, 13.4% of Ohioans lived in poverty (US Census),
o Of America's top 10 poorest cities, three are in Ohio, Cleveland ranked 2nd with a poverty rate of 30.5%, Cincinnati ranked 7th with 25.1% and Toledo ranked 8th with 24.7% of its residents living at or below the poverty level. No other state had more than one city in the top 10. (US Census),
o 1 in 4 Ohioans over the age of 18 earn $10 or less an hour (Community Research Partners),
o 1 in 8 Ohioans are receiving Food Stamps (ODJFS),
o 1 in 6 Ohioans are on the Medicaid/SCHIP (ODJFS),
o 1 in 4 Ohio children under age 5 are hungry or at significant risk of hunger, ranking Ohio 3rd in the nation, behind LA and NC (USDA),
o 1 out of every 2 children born in our state are eligible for WIC the Women, Infants and Children's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (USDA/ODH),
o 40% of Ohio's students are eligible for free and/or reduced price school meals (ODE).
The effects of HB 1 are bad and getting worse by the day. Unemployment, hunger and public benefit program caseloads are raising at rates never experienced before in Ohio's history. All at a time when the CDJFS's (county Jobs and Family Services) have been forced to lay off over 2,500 front line caseworkers, more Ohioans many for the first time in their lives are requesting food stamps, Medicaid and cash assistance, because they have lost their jobs, their unemployment has expired or they aren't eligible for unemployment. The wait time for face-to-face appointments at some county offices is now 5 weeks, which is a significant federal program violation for timeliness. More seniors who have lost their pensions and their health care, their modest retirements wiped out because of the misdeeds of Wall Street, are forcing more of greatest generation on to waiting list for services; tens of thousands of Ohio's poorest children are without child care and after school programs and thousands of Ohioans have lost mental health services and have nowhere to turn. Ohio's families that were already hanging by their finger tips are falling into the abyss..
We fully understand that you do not have many “good” choices. There are no simple solutions. Actions that you take certainly will have consequences that others may find objectionable. But inaction is not a choice. The consequences of that will make already dire circumstances even grimmer. The following actions certainly deserve consideration as you face the difficult task of providing responsible leadership.
o Reconvene and appoint a new Welfare Reform Oversight Committee to hold field hearings and county evaluations on the impact of H.B. 1 and prior year budget reductions.
o Convene the Ways and Means Committee to examine the impact of H.B.66 on the reduction of the personal income tax and the CAT tax rates on the state's competitiveness and job creation assertions.
o Decouple Ohio's tax code from the recently passed federal changes and act immediately on prison sentencing reform.
o Eliminate all compensation and benefits for appointees serving on state boards and commissions, Shared sacrifice should include serving your state freely when asked.
o Suspend and scrutinize all tax loopholes and credits to ensure that Ohio's tax system is equitable, fair and balanced between individuals and business interest.
o Provide adequate funding to ensure government services are available and accessible in a time of economic recession and/or depression. These services could be funded by reducing to 6.25% the state share of all property tax subsidies for home owners and cap future increases resulting from new levies.
o Extend the sales tax on lobbying, public relations services and debt collection.
o Implement a temporary “Weathering the Economic Storm” sales tax or surcharge on sugary beverages that would be used to fund vital health and human services so our most at-risk citizen's basic needs are met.
o Readjust personal income tax rates to levels that will provide sufficient funding to support vital basic needs services.
While we recognize the challenges that you as lawmakers are facing in responding to this budget shortfall, there has never been a more critical time to focus on basic needs. Expanding our investment in programs that have proven results, directly benefiting hungry Ohioans of all ages, and indirectly benefiting farmers, communities and taxpayers makes good sense and is a fiscally responsible choice.
Legislative Contacts
(*) To contact Ohio State Senators: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/
Articles
(Edtl) Ohio's Republican senators can't just take potshots on the budget
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/11/ohios_republican_senators_cant.html
What posturing on the budget may cost Ohio Senate Republicans
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/11/what_posturing_on_the_budget_m.html
It's long past time to put the people above party squabbles
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2009/11/15/jh15.ART_ART_11-15-09_G5_S9FLQQR.html?sid=101
Senate leader against any delay in tax cut
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/11/11/copy/budget11.ART_ART_11-11-09_B8_LDFKU5S.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
Food pantries: Community support helps meet rising demand
http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/517162.html?nav=5002
Tax freeze protects education funds while lawmakers take pay cut to share in pain
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/11/tax_freeze_protects_education.html
Take the first step: Basic election reforms shouldn't be stalled by partisan jockeying
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2009/11/10/elected.ART_ART_11-10-09_A8_UKFJIM8.html?sid=101
Contacts:
Campaign to Protect Ohio's Future. Gayle Channing Tenenbaum and Margaret Hulbert, Co-Chair. http://www.protectohio.org/
Lisa Hamler-FugittOhio: Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks
www.oashf.org
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