Governor Kasich Cuts $300,000 from Staff Payroll

Facing a predicted budget gap of over $8 Billion (Thanks Ted), Governor Kasich immediately lopped off $300,000 in office staff payroll.

This will hardly solve having a Grand Canyon size hole in our next state budget -- but it is a step in the right direction!

From the Columbus Dispatch --

Gov. John Kasich is paying some top staff members significantly more than their counterparts in the previous administration, but his total projected office payroll is about $300,000 lower with eight fewer workers, data released yesterday show.

Kasich's office provided the salaries of 43 people hired so far and salaries for 26 other positions it intends to fill, a total of 69 employees and a combined annual payroll of $4.5 million without benefits.

At the end of Gov. Ted Strickland's term, he had 77 staff members earning a combined $4.8million, Kasich's office said. That's nearly $300,000 more than Kasich said he intends to pay once his office is fully staffed. More...

OH House Appointments

From Weapons of Mass Discussion --

COLUMBUS – Speaker William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) today announced the appointment of three new members of the Ohio House of Representatives, each of whom were sworn in during Tuesday’s House session. The House Republican Caucus members have unanimously approved of the three appointments.

 

“While it is ultimately the responsibility of the House of Representatives under the Ohio Constitution to make an appointment in these instances, we rely heavily on the input of the constituents and local leaders of the individual House Districts,” Speaker Batchelder said.  “Thanks in no small part to the efforts put forth by the constituency in each of these districts, we are privileged to welcome three excellent new members to our caucus.”

 

The appointments are as follows:

 

House District 37: James Butler, Jr.

Rep. Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) was recently appointed to fill the remaining two years of former state senator Jon Husted’s term due to his election as Ohio’s Secretary of State.  The Montgomery County Republican Party unanimously recommended local attorney Jim Butler (R-Oakwood) to fill the remainder of Rep. Lehner’s term.

 

“Jim’s record of service to Montgomery County and our nation is outstanding,” Speaker Batchelder said.  “His service and intellect will be a tremendous addition to our caucus.”

 

Rep. Butler is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in history and a graduate of the University of Maryland with a master’s degree in history.  He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in the top 10 percent of his class and then entered flight training at the Naval Academy where he graduated first in his class.  He is a 2005 graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law and is currently an associate at Thompson Hine, LLP in Dayton.

 

The 37^th House District, located in Montgomery County, includes the cities of Kettering, Miamisburg, Oakwood, West Carrollton, and several townships.

House District 77: Jim Buchy

Recently, Governor John Kasich announced that Representative Jim Zehringer (R-Fort Recovery) would lead the Ohio Department of Agriculture, creating a vacancy in the 77^th House District.  Former State Representative Jim Buchy (R-Greenville) has been selected to fill the remainder of Rep. Zehringer’s term.

 

“Jim is a wonderful man with an exemplary record of service in the legislature and in the private sector,” Speaker Batchelder said.  “Having the support of all three county Republican parties, Rep. Zehringer, Senator Faber, Congressman Jordan and the constituents of the district made this an easy choice for our caucus and I look forward to working with Jim again.”

 

Rep. Buchy served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1983 to 2000 and served as the assistant director for the Ohio Department of Agriculture from 2001 to 2004.  He is the President of Buchy Food Service in Greenville, Ohio and serves on the NFIB-Ohio statewide leadership council.

 

The 77^th House District includes all of Mercer and Preble Counties and the western portion of Darke County.

House District 98: Richard Hollington

Rep. Dick Hollington (R-Hunting Valley) has been re-appointed to the 98^th House District seat after a unanimous recommendation by a legislative screening panel. 

 

“After interviewing a dozen well-qualified, thoughtful applicants for this vacancy, we believe Representative Hollington’s previous service in the legislature coupled with his private sector work experience will be best suited to work with our caucus during these challenging economic times,” said Rep. Lou Blessing, who chaired the legislative screening panel in December.

 

Rep. Hollington served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1967 to 1970 and recently served the 98^th House District during the 2010 legislative session after being appointed following the resignation of former Representative Matt Dolan. He is a senior partner in the Cleveland Law Firm of Baker Hostetler LLP and finance director for the Village of Hunting Valley.  He is a graduate of Harvard Law School.

 

The 98^th House District encompasses all of Geauga County and portions of Cuyahoga County.

Education Revolution: Restoring America's Exceptionalism

American 15-year-olds rank 35th out of 57 countries in math and literacy, behind almost all industrialized nations! I don’t believe America should be 35th in anything.  It’s time to restore America’s Exceptionalism!

On Monday, January 24, Americans for Prosperity Ohio will co-host an exciting town hall in the greater Cleveland area with Fox News Commentator Juan Williams and national radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt!  Click here for a full list of sponsoring organizations.

You can register for this free-ticketed event HERE! 

Be a part of the revolution to restore America’s exceptionalism!  Hugh Hewitt and Juan Williams will be taking your town hall questions at The Education Revolution– Restoring American Exceptionalism Town Hall! 

The Education Revolution is not a partisan issue.

It’s an American issue –and our future depends on it!

Ohio AG Mike DeWine to join Multi-State Lawsuit against Obama Care

The Cleveland Tea Party Patriots would like to thank Attorney General DeWine for being a man of his word and immediately fulfilling one of his most important campaign promises. 

From Columbus Dispatch --

On his first day in office yesterday, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine sought to fulfill a campaign pledge by asking Florida's attorney general to let him join a lawsuit challenging federal health-care reforms.

DeWine, a Republican, sent a letter to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi asking to join a multistate lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of reforms championed by President Barack Obama.

Florida is the lead plaintiff in a case in which about 20 states are contesting the federal government's authority to require Americans to buy health insurance.

Bondi's office couldn't say yesterday how many other states have asked to join the case this year. DeWine and five other Republicans replaced Democratic attorneys general after the 2010 election cycle.

The PROUD Act; The DREAM Act's Little Brother

After having the nightmarish back-door amnesty DREAM Act act shot down the left is again ignoring the will of the American people with a newly named Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants bill -- The PROUD Act.

From Rep. Joe Baca --

Today, Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto) introduced legislation to allow motivated immigrant high school graduates to apply for United States citizenship after meeting certain academic requirements, which would replace the naturalization exam, and paying a reduced fee.  The People Resolved to Obtain an Understanding of Democracy (PROUD) Act, mandates that any high school graduate who can furnish transcripts proving completion of grades 6 through 12, displays an understanding of United States history, government and civics, and can prove they are of good moral character be allowed to apply for U.S. citizenship.

“America is the land of opportunity, we are blessed to live in a nation where people of diverse backgrounds can come together as one,” said Rep. Baca.  “The PROUD Act is important legislation that puts our most responsible and successful immigrant students on a streamlined path for citizenship, and at the same time motivates all our students to do their best and to stay out of trouble.”

Currently, the minimum age to take the United States citizenship exam as part of the naturalization process is 18 years.  The PROUD Act would amend the Immigration Nationality Act to allow exemplary non-citizen high school graduates, who are of age, to apply for citizenship as long as they provide the necessary academic transcripts, proof of essential civic knowledge, and are in good moral standing within the community.

“It is wrong to have policies that unfairly punish the innocent young people who came to America by no choice of their own as children,” concluded Rep. Baca.  “By recognizing those hard-working, immigrant students who are here to make a better life for themselves and their families, the PROUD Act can make a positive impact in schools and communities throughout our nation.  And by increasing the number of high-skilled, citizen workers, this legislation can boost our economic recovery by creating additional tax revenue at the local, state, and federal level.”

Rep. Baca also sponsored the PROUD Act in the previous (111th) Congress.  The legislation was included as a key provision in the larger comprehensive immigration reform legislation introduced in the House of Representatives, H.R. 4321, CIR-ASAP.  Last Congress, the PROUD Act was endorsed by numerous advocacy organizations including LULAC, HACU, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, MANA, and the National Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Association. 

Two Bills introduced to Stop the Over-Regulation of the American People

A great step in the right direction!

From Rep. Don Young --

Alaskan Congressman Don Young has introduced two bills aimed at curbing the overregulation of the American people.  Both H.R. 213, the Regulation Audit Revive Economy Act of 2011 (RARE Act of 2011), and H.R. 214, the Congressional Office of Regulatory Analysis Creation and Sunset and Review Act of 2011, intend to not only review existing regulations but limit future ones as well.

“Quite often contentious regulations are issued through agencies, thus bypassing Congress and the voice of the people,” said Rep. Young.  “This legislative trick by the Executive Branch has contributed to our massive federal deficit and overall debt, while sometimes restricting small business growth.  Hundreds of thousands of pages of regulations are on the books, making the amount of red tape industry has to navigate almost paralyzing.  And more often than not, these regulations are written in convoluted legalese making them near impossible to understand.

“With the abundance of regulations already coming from legislation such as the health care bill and the inevitability of thousands more this year, it is incredibly important that we do this review sooner rather than later.  The excess of government has gotten out of hand, and with these bills I am calling on Congress to finally take a hard look at these overreaching rules that stifle American freedoms.”  

For the text of H.R. 213 click here
For the text of H.R. 214 click here

•   There are over 160,000 pages of regulations on the books right now

•   In 2005, the Small Business Administration study found that enforcing all the regulations costs $1.1 trillion per year (Americans paid less in income taxes in 2009)

•   3,500 new rules were adopted in 2009 alone at a cost of $13.6 billion, most of these new rules were a result of the outgoing Bush Administration

•   For the last couple of decades, the federal government has issued on average 4,000 new rules each year in the Federal Register

•   The Code of Federal Regulations in 2006 had 33 percent more pages than in 1980

•   Three years into the George W. Bush Administration, the cost of new regulations hit $4 billion.  One year into the Obama Administration, the cost of new regulations hit $4 billion.

New Website Tracks Lobbyist Registrations & Trends in D.C.

From The Sunlight Foundation --

With the 112th Congress officially convened, a new session of lobbying in Washington has also started. In order to know who is lobbying for whom, the Sunlight Foundation today launched its new “Lobbyist Registration Tracker”. The website is a go-to resource on federal lobbying where users can find information on recent registrations made by lobbyists and lobbying firms, the client who hired them and what issues are being lobbied.

Lobbyists have filed more than 350 new registrations since Election Day. Currently, clients are seeking to influence issues from the federal budget and health care to Kyrgyz government negotiations with the United States. Lobbyists must file registrations with the House and Senate within 45 days of being hired. The Lobbyist Registration Tracker utilizes filings made with the Senate Office of Public Records to provide a snapshot — updated weekly — of who is hiring lobbyists and why.

“This website gives you the earliest insights into what policies and topics are drawing the attention of special interests in Washington,” said Bill Allison, editorial director of the Sunlight Foundation. “While we can't fully track campaign money, this is one arena where we have information on about who is meeting with Congress to influence policy matters and government spending.”

The Lobbyist Registration Tracker can be browsed via a single issue, such as banking or defense; by registrant, an individual lobbyist or firm; or by the client that hired the lobbyist. The issue, registrant and client pages include a listing of all new registrations made since 2009 and a timeline of trends over the past 12 months. These pages are available as a RSS feed or can be downloaded as a .CSV file. The Lobbyist Registration Tracker also connects users to the Sunlight Foundation’s Influence Explorer, which provides political contribution, lobbying activity, earmarks and federal spending information on people, organizations and corporations.