Week in Review - Ohio



Health Policy Institute of OhioPrepared by: Stephanie GilliganReport created on February 6, 2015Health-related Bill Updates:To read more about a specific bill, visit and type in the bill number?HB33SEIZURE-CANNABIS USE (RETHERFORD W, ROGERS J)?To authorize for persons diagnosed with seizure disorders certain uses of cannabidiol and other drugs or substances derived from cannabis.?Current Status:???2/3/2015 - Introduced?HB34HEALTH CARE COMPACT (RETHERFORD W, BOOSE T)?To enter into the Health Care Compact.?Current Status:???2/3/2015 - Introduced?HB40MEDICAL BOARD FINES (GONZALES A, DEVER J)?To authorize the State Medical Board to impose fines rather than licensing suspensions for failure to comply with continuing education requirements, to authorize the Board to impose fines in addition to other actions it may take for violations of the laws it administers, and to authorize the Board to impose additional conditions for restoration of certain certificates to practice.?Current Status:???2/4/2015 - Introduced?SB8PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAM REVIEW (BURKE D)?Regarding the General Assembly?€?s review of public assistance programs.?Current Status:???2/4/2015 - Referred to Committee Senate Government Oversight and Reform?Recent Status:???2/2/2015 - Introduced?SB9INFANT MORTALITY-DATA COLLECTION (JONES S, LEHNER P)?Regarding data collection on state-administered services provided in the home that are aimed at reducing infant mortality and negative birth outcomes or health disparities among women who are pregnant or capable of becoming pregnant and who belong to a racial or ethnic minority and Medicaid coverage of certain services for pregnant women, new mothers, or women who may become pregnant.?Current Status:???2/11/2015 - Senate Medicaid, (First Hearing)?Recent Status:???2/4/2015 - Referred to Committee Senate Medicaid2/2/2015 - Introduced?SB10MILITARY HEALTH CARE BENEFITS (BURKE D, LAROSE F)?To establish a process for identifying individuals who are medical assistance recipients that may be eligible to receive federal military-related health care benefits.?Current Status:???2/4/2015 - Referred to Committee Senate Government Oversight and Reform?Recent Status:???2/2/2015 - Introduced?SB14KRABBE DISEASE (FABER K, LEHNER P)?To require that Krabbe disease be included in the Newborn Screening Program.?Current Status:???2/4/2015 - Referred to Committee Senate Health and Human Services?Recent Status:???2/2/2015 - Introduced?SB15PRISON SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT (UECKER J, FABER K)?To require the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, by December 15, 2015, to study the feasibility of converting an existing facility into a substance abuse recovery prison and to specify that the General Assembly is to consider expanding the pilot program for medication-assisted treatment for drug offenders.?Current Status:???2/4/2015 - Referred to Committee Senate Government Oversight and Reform?Recent Status:???2/2/2015 - Introduced?SB17MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY (CAFARO C)?To require the Medicaid program to cover the eligibility expansion group authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and to make an appropriation.?Current Status:???2/11/2015 - Senate Medicaid, (First Hearing)?Recent Status:???2/4/2015 - Referred to Committee Senate Medicaid2/2/2015 - Introduced?Week in ReviewFriday, Feb. 6, 2015HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICESFour Ohio clergy members spoke Wednesday at a Statehouse news conference about how increased availability of health care coverage has affected those whom they serve, with a present theme of how coverage provides dignity to those who didn't previously have access. The Ohio Alliance for Health Transformation hosted the conference.The Workgroup to Reduce Public Assistance on Thursday selected Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services (CDJFS) Chief Operating Officer Timothy McCartney as its chairman going forward. The move relieves Doug Lumpkin, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Office of Human Services Innovation director, from leading the group formed by mid-biennium review 130-HB483 (Amstutz). He will still be involved in the group moving forward. The group has three remaining meetings, and must complete a report with recommendations to the governor and the General Assembly by the end of March, according to Lumpkin.AGRICULTUREThe Ohio Department of Agriculture was in court this week after it seized 11 exotic animals from the property of Kenneth Hetrick because he had not obtained the required permit under 129-SB310 (Balderson). The animals included six tigers, a brown bear, a lion, a liger, a black leopard and a cougar.The Ohio Farmers Union (OFU) announced Friday that the issue of water quality and the Current Agricultural Use Value (CAUV) property tax program will top the organization's list of priorities for 2015.Sen. Edna Brown (D-Toledo) said she will introduce legislation that would classify manure as a fertilizer and prohibit the spread of fertilizer on frozen or saturated ground statewide with exceptions under certain circumstances. The bill differs from SB1 (Gardner-Peterson), which offers a more targeted approach to banning the spread of manure, according to sponsor Sen. Randy Gardner (R-Bowling Green). He said his bill will apply to the region around the western basin of Lake Erie.U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday discussed his department's progress in implementing the federal Agricultural Act of 2014, also known as the farm bill, which was signed by President Barack Obama on Feb. 7, 2014. On a conference call with reporters, Vilsack said the passage of the farm bill "pushes back on the notion that government is not working," noting lawmakers and stakeholders compromised on this issue and got something done.ATTORNEY GENERALA Washington County grand jury has indicted a former sheriff deputy suspected in the 34-year-old death of fellow deputy Lt. Ray "Joe" Clark on additional felony charges after a raid of Mitchell Ruble's home in Lowell, the Ohio Attorney General's Office announced.BALLOT ISSUES ResponsibleOhio, a group planning a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana for medical and personal use, released a list of its major financial backers on Friday, including a real estate developer, a former NBA player, a former NFL player, and a fashion designer. Oscar Robertson, a member of the NBA Hall of Fame who played for the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks, was among the big names announced as a backer of the campaign.FY16-17 BUDGETOn Monday, Gov. John Kasich launched the third state budget of his career by proposing another $500 million in tax cuts, including eliminating income tax on small businesses with annual gross receipts under $2 million and a 23 percent income tax cut for personal income tax rates over the biennium. However, the budget also includes a sales tax increase from 5.75 percent 6.25 percent to further Kasich's intention to shift the state's tax system from income to consumption, an increase in the severance tax from 4.5 to 6.5 percent in certain cases, an increase in the Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) and increases in the cigarette and other tobacco products taxes. Among other items in the yet-to-be-introduced budget are the following:- A doubling of the personal exemption for low- and middle-income Ohioans.- Creation of a committee to review the state's $8.5 billion in tax expenditures.- Revisions to the school foundation formula with the intent of shifting funds to districts with less capacity to raise funds locally and to phase out the guarantee and the tangible personal property tax/utility tax replacement payments, and increasing the per pupil funding $100/year from $5,800 this fiscal year to $6,000 by FY17. In addition, the budget proposes stricter regulation of charters while at the same time appropriating a $25 million facilities fund and giving charters the opportunity to seek levy funding.The governor is proposing extensive changes in human services and the Medicaid program, including charging individuals with incomes from 100 to 138 percent of poverty a premium; expanding the state's infant mortality efforts; increasing physician and dentist reimbursements; reconfiguring county operations of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and workforce programs, focusing on improving case management; and improving community developmental disabilities services and downsizing institutions.While Office of Budget and Management (OBM) Director Tim Keen predicted the state will end FY15 with a $970.4 million surplus, "based on current information" in testimony Tuesday before the House Finance Committee, Legislative Service Commission (LSC) Executive Director Mark Flanders testified later in the day that that number is $29 million higher according to the estimates of his economists. That would put the estimated surplus at just shy of $1 billion.Keen noted that education and Medicaid are the first and second largest areas of state GRF spending, saying that the Department of Education is receiving the largest amounts "ever" with $8.7 billion appropriated for FY16 and $9.1 billion appropriated for FY17.Funding motorist training with a new fine for distracted driving and creating a new agency division to coordinate freight shipping by water, road and rail are among initiatives in Gov. John Kasich's new transportation budget, administration officials said Wednesday.In advance of the official FY16-17 proposed budget unveiling on Monday, the Kasich administration on Friday rolled out higher education initiatives in an appearance of Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor and Chancellor of the Board of Regents John Carey at Sinclair Community College in Dayton. The budget will propose more ways for high school students to earn college credit, employ the use of campuses for lower income students in the summer, and use the Ohio College Opportunity Grant to fill in gaps in the federal Pell Grant. Members of Advocates for Ohio's Future, health and human services advocates, announced priorities for the biennial budget Friday, endorsing the broad themes of proposals Gov. John Kasich debuted earlier in the week while urging caution on some details and pressing the need for more resources to build a system that truly moves people to independence. The group laid out budget goals in four categories: person-centered work supports; funding programs that help working families; improving the direct-care workforce; and ensuring the basic safety and wellbeing of seniors and children, including through implementation of recommendationsby the Adult Protective Services Work Group.DEATH PENALTYLate Friday, the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) released revised execution dates for seven inmates, effectively delaying until 2016 the restart of executions here in Ohio. According to DRC, the new dates are designed to provide DRC adequate time to secure a supply of the new execution drugs under the newly effective 130-HB663 (Buchy-Huffman), which provides confidentiality for smaller compounding pharmacies providing the drugs. Executions resume on Jan. 21, 2016 with Ronald Phillips.The family of the Death Row inmate whose controversial execution temporarily halted capital punishment in Ohio has dropped its civil rights lawsuit against the state. The lawsuit filed by Dennis McGuire's children had claimed he suffered "needless pain" from a lethal injection of midazolam and hydromorphone during his Jan. 16, 2014 execution. After the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) announced several weeks ago that it was dropping the two-drug protocol as an accepted form of lethal injection, McGuire's family decided the change had resolved their concerns, their attorney said.EDUCATIONThe Ohio Department of Education said Friday that applications for scholarships that help students from underperforming public schools or those with special needs attending participating private schools will be accepted starting Sunday, Feb. 1. The programs include the EdChoice Scholarship Program, the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program, and, for those living within the boundaries of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, the Cleveland scholarship program.State education officials spelled out details of Gov. John Kasich's budget policies for Ohio schools, breaking down the implications of a revised formula that aims to better gauge local funding capacity by measuring median income. The formula, which the administration casts as a modification to the current funding, also aims to move away from the system of caps and guarantees that it says dampen positive or negative effects of straightforward application of the formula.A host of school administrators brought their complaints and suggestions on assessments and critiques of State Superintendent Richard Ross' report on testing reductions to the Senate Education Committee's hearing Tuesday.Ohio Office of Budget and Management (OBM) Director Tim Keen said the budget proposal for primary and secondary education continues the Kasich administration's goal of providing more state funding to districts with the least ability to raise local money while minimizing possible negative financial effects on middle-of-the-road or wealthier districts.Ohio educators showcased projects developed with the help of state innovation grants Thursday at the Statehouse for legislators, the governor and others. Exhibitors filled the Atrium and other parts of the building for the conference dedicated to sharing success of the Straight A Fund, which Gov. John Kasich created two years ago and proposes to fund again at $100 million per year in his new biennial budget proposal.ELECTIONS 2016Multiple reports Friday indicated former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, 73, who is president of the liberal Center for American Progress Action Fund, is closer to announcing he will run for U.S. Senate in 2016, but he has not made his intentions clear yet.A former state representative who left the Ohio House to make an unsuccessful bid for Cuyahoga County executive announced Tuesday that he is running for Ohio Senate in 2016. In making the announcement, Matt Dolan is looking to get a leg up on what could be a crowded primary field for the 24th Senate seat currently held by the term-limited Tom Patton (R-Strongsville).ENERGYThe Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) told House and Senate members Thursday that competing timelines for the Energy Mandates Study Committee and President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan raise serious questions about state and federal compliance. One member asked whether the study committee should be extended, though Chairman Troy Balderson (R-Zanesville) said outside the hearing that he saw no need for more time. ENVIRONMENTThe Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) is now coordinating educational program Project WET (water education for teachers) throughout Ohio. The international curriculum features interactive and outdoor learning activities for students in elementary and middle school grades. Project WET had been administered in Ohio by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) for many years, and ODNR will continue to assist Ohio EPA in promoting the curriculum, the agency said, noting it already administers a similar program for high school students entitled, "Healthy Water, Healthy People." The sponsors of new legislation addressing harmful algal blooms said their bill includes a provision creating a new Office of Harmful Algae Management and Response in the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA), among several other new measures.FEDERALU.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) spoke Friday on a news conference call about his "substantial" work authoring an energy efficiency amendment to the Keystone XL Pipeline bill that passed the U.S. Senate Thursday and about other legislation he has introduced, including tariff reductions and health care relief for small businesses.U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) spoke Thursday about President Barack Obama's federal budget proposal sent to Capitol Hill this week, saying the country's large deficit is a known problem still not being addressed in the FY16 budget. The senator also introduced and co-sponsored bills that would eliminate government shutdowns and repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA).The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy on Thursday advanced the Drinking Water Protection Act, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green). The legislation would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to develop and submit a strategic plan to Congress within 90 days of enactment for assessing and managing the risk associated with harmful algal blooms (HABs) in drinking water.GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSEThe Ohio Senate Friday released the regular meeting times for each of its standing committees. However, all of the subcommittees of Senate Finance are listed as “to be announced” for both times and locations.Two separate accidents have temporarily sidelined two legislators. Sen. Bob Peterson (R-Sabina) was injured in an accident in Pickaway County Tuesday evening but is expected to make a full recovery. Meanwhile, the Toledo Blade reported that Rep. Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) suffered an acute concussion and was on bed rest after she was involved in an accident on Jan. 21 in Toledo. The car she was driving was struck by another vehicle that had run a stop sign, the newspaper said. Fedor is expected to return to session next week.The House Ways and Means Committee reported out HB19 (Scherer), which incorporates changes in the federal Internal Revenue Code since March 22, 2013 into Ohio law and declares an emergency. Sen. Kenny Yuko (D-Richmond Heights) introduced legislation that would raise Ohio's minimum wage from $8.05 to $10.10 an hour and continue to adjust to changes in inflation each year. The minimum wage increase is part of SB25, a bill that he said aims to improve workers' rights in ERNOR Gov. John Kasich announced that he is asking the General Assembly to meet in Wilmington in Clinton County to hear his 2015 “State of the State” address, a county in the district of the new speaker of the House, Rep. Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville). It will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.. John Kasich has appointed several judges including James F. Long of Dayton (Montgomery County) to serve as a judge on the Kettering Municipal Court replacing Judge Thomas M. Hanna, who retired; James H. Hewitt, III of Cleveland (Cuyahoga County) to the Cleveland Municipal Court replacing Judge Anita Laster Mays, who has been elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals; J. Curtis Werren of Canton (Stark County) as a judge on the Canton Municipal Court replacing Judge Stephen F. Belden; Curtis E. Kissinger of Cincinnati (Hamilton County) to the Hamilton Municipal Court replacing Judge Russell J. Mock, who has been elected to the 1st District Court of Appeals; Marianne T. Hemmeter of Delaware (Delaware County) to the Delaware Municipal Court replacing Judge David Gormley, who has been elected to the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, General and Domestic Relations Divisions; Jill Flagg Lanzinger of Akron (Summit County) to the Barberton Municipal Court replacing Judge Todd M. McKenney, who has been elected to the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, General Division; and C. Christopher Amato of Wellsville (Columbiana County) to the Columbiana Municipal Court replacing Judge Carol A. Robb, who has been elected to the 7th District Court of Appeals.The governor made the following appointments during the week:- Larry L. Lindrose of Mentor (Lake County) to the State Emergency Response Commission for a term beginning Feb. 2, 2015 and ending Jan. 13, 2017.- David W. Faught of Pataskala (Licking County) reappointed to the Hearing Aid Dealers and Fitters Licensing Board for a term beginning Feb. 4, 2015 and ending Jan. 25, 2019. - Elizabeth Schrack of Fairborn (Greene County) to the Governor's Council on People with Disabilities for a term beginning Feb. 4, 2015 and ending Aug. 19, 2017. - Drs. Richard A. Fankhauser of Columbus (Franklin County) and Brian P. Kaminski of Bowling Green (Wood County) to the Medical Quality Foundation Board for terms beginning Feb. 4, 2015 and ending July 20, 2017.- Nelson L. Kidder of Pickerington (Fairfield County) reappointed to the Reclamation Forfeiture Fund Advisory Board for a term beginning Feb. 5, 2015 and ending Jan. 10, 2019. - Robert S. Frost of Lakewood (Cuyahoga County) reappointed to the Oil and Gas Commission for a term beginning Feb. 5, 2015 and ending Oct. 14, 2019. - Bryan R. Grubb of Marysville (Union County) and Victoria S. Baker-Willford of Racine (Meigs County) reappointed to the Governor's Council on People with Disabilities for terms beginning Feb. 5, 2015 and ending Aug. 19, 2017.HIGHER EDUCATIONThe Ohio State University Board of Trustees Friday approved a new contract for Vice President and Director of Athletics Gene Smith, effective Feb. 1, 2015, through June 30, 2020, that they said emphasizes student-athletes' academic performance and career development. His base salary remains $959,263 with the school stressing his compensation is paid entirely through athletics department revenues, using no tuition or tax dollars.The Ohio Board of Regents (BOR) has announced a series of research projects that will use a dedicated $2 million in research funds to address water quality and algal bloom toxicity in the state. According to BOR Chancellor John Carey, a group of more than 60 university researchers that he convened came up with recommendations and a proposal on how to best utilize and invest the funds.INSURANCEThough auto and homeowners' insurance premiums have increased in Ohio, a trend report released recently by the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII) says affordable premiums "remain a mainstay" for the Buckeye State. Ohio ranks the ninth lowest in the country for its homeowners' insurance premiums, according to 2012 data released by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) in January.JUDICIALThe Ohio Supreme Court said that 476 applicants have applied to take the February 2015 Ohio Bar Examination on Tuesday through Thursday, Feb. 24-26 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Of the 431 applicants are people from 48 Ohio counties. There are 44 applicants from 16 other states and one applicant from Bangkok.The Ohio Supreme Court is dialing back national standards for the "high-quality" representation of capital murder defendants in new rules announced Monday for the state of Ohio. The 31-page charter removes language in the former Rules of Superintendence that survived in the original version of "Rules for Appointment of Counsel in Capital Cases" to reflect the American Bar Association's (ABA) "minimum" standards for death penalty cases.LOCAL GOVERNMENTD. Michael Collins, the mayor of Toledo, remained hospitalized Monday after suffering a heart attack while driving Sunday and crashing his vehicle into a pole. According to a statement released by the city, Collins was taken to the University of Toledo Medical Center in critical condition and was being heavily sedated Sunday night after the crash. The city was under a Level 3 weather emergency at the time of the crash because of heavy snow.Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish on Tuesday introduced the Cuyahoga County Department of Sustainability and announced that former Rep. Mike Foley will be its first director.NATURAL RESOURCESOhio hunters checked a total of 175,745 white-tailed deer during all 2014-2015 hunting seasons, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Ohio's archery season closed Sunday, Feb. 1, marking the end of all of the state's deer hunting seasons for the year.PEOPLEOhioans to End Prohibition (OTEP), a group pushing a marijuana legalization effort for 2016, announced recently that it has hired Michael Revercomb-Hickman to serve as political director of the group. Hickman has worked with other cannabis advocacy groups, having held board memberships with Ohio NORML and Ohio Rights Group.Cleveland's MetroHealth System announced Friday that Tamiyka Rose has been named vice president of government relations and that Tracy Carter, a former Summa Health System executive, becomes its senior director of state and federal government relations. Rose served as interim director of government relations since November 2014 when John Corlett left to head up The Center for Community Solutions.Ron Keller, the first executive director of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB), died late Monday night at Kobacker House after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease.The Ohio State Chiropractic Association's Board of Directors chose Kreg Huffer to be its 30th president. The most recent past president, Terry McCoskey of Fairborn, will stay on as chairman of the board.Linda Saif, a scientist in Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), has been awarded the 2015 Wolf Prize in Agriculture for her work on viral diseases related to farm animals, food safety and human health.POLLS/STUDIESA new "swing state" poll conducted by Quinnipiac University finds that former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would best any Republican challenger except Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in their home states.In other findings, the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute said Wednesday that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is emerging as a Republican front-runner in an early look of presidential primaries in key swing states, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the clear favorite among Democrats, getting more than 50 percent of support in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania. While Bush has a clear lead in his home state, he faces closer matchups in Pennsylvania, where he leads among Republicans, and in Ohio, where he trails Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.While President Barack Obama's approval rating is underwater in the three swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida in a new Quinnipiac Poll, the same poll shows some of his proposals such as increasing taxes on wealthier residents have support. Only 42 percent of voters in Ohio give Obama positive marks for his job performance, while 53 percent disapprove. Ohio had the lowest numbers for Obama in the three states, while Florida had the highest, with 46 percent of voters supporting him. Sixty-one percent of Ohio voters support raising taxes on higher-income earners to reduce taxes paid by the middle class, while 35 percent of voters oppose the idea.POVERTYThe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released the poverty guidelines for 2015, setting the levels at $11,770 for one person; $15,930 for two; $20,090 for three; and $24,250 for four.SECRETARY OF STATESecretary of State Jon Husted said this week that seven local issues were decided by one vote or tied in the November 2014 election as he stressed that every vote matters and can have a significant impact on the outcome of an election. The secretary of state???s office said a total of 70 local issues have been decided by one vote or tied in the 2013 general, 2014 primary, and 2014 general elections.Secretary of State Jon Husted said Wednesday that he is concerned new federal actions on immigration could lead to noncitizens casting ballots in upcoming elections. Husted sent a letter to President Barack Obama, saying the president's Immigration Accountability Executive Actions may grant millions more access to the valid forms of identification used to register to vote, allowing more non-citizens to illegally register and vote.STATE GOVERNMENTOhio Homeland Security (OHS) said new rules have gone into effect that are intended to assist law enforcement and the scrap metal industry in their efforts to combat the effects of scrap metal theft. As part of Ohio's Scrap Metal Law (129-SB193 [Seitz]) that was passed in the summer of 2012, use of searchable electronic lists -- more commonly referred to as the "Do Not Buy Lists" -- and the Dealer Daily Transaction Database will now be required for scrap metal dealers.The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) Tuesday approved 10 hazardous materials training grants totaling $354,093. They will allow local authorities to train more than 2,000 public safety and emergency services professionals.TAXATIONTax revenues for the state continued running over estimates through January, although not by much, coming in $9.3 million or 0.4 percent over for the month and running nearly $214.4 million over estimates so far for FY15. Revenues through January total nearly $12.4 billion for this fiscal year with nearly $2.1 billion of that coming in in January. Preliminary figures released Thursday by the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) show that it was primarily the personal income tax that drove the overage, while both the auto and non-auto sales tax were below estimates for January.TELECOMMUNICATIONS/INTERNETAT&T on Monday announced the appointment of Jason Paduchik as senior director of legislative affairs for Ohio. He succeeds Rob Reynolds, who relocated with AT&T to Kansas in 2014, according to the telecommunications company.TOBACCOA coalition of groups that is pushing for a reduction in the tobacco use of Ohioans praised the provisions of Gov. John Kasich's proposed budget, urging the General Assembly to adopt them. Shelly Kiser of the American Lung Association in Ohio and Investing in Tobacco-Free Youth Coalition, which is pushing for policy changes to help reduce the use of tobacco in the state, said they "applaud and even celebrate" Kasich's proposals, which include raising the tax on cigarettes by $1 per pack, evening out the tax on non-cigarette tobacco products to match cigarette tax rates, and using federal funding for more cessation programs. TRANSPORTATIONThe Maritime Port Funding Study Committee met again Wednesday and heard concerns from several Ohio businesses that rely on maritime commerce in order to operate. Major concerns among witnesses included the reduction of federal funds to assist with dredging efforts by the Army Corps of Engineers for the Port of Cleveland and the Port of Toledo.VETERANSVideo raffle machines used by Ohio veteran and fraternal groups that had been targeted for shut down by Attorney General Mike DeWine have raised $12 million, a coalition representing the organizations said this week. Many fraternal and veterans groups had been using the devices in order to boost revenues to go to charitable causes. DeWine, however, called the devices illegal gambling and ordered the groups to shut them down. The groups sued, and a judge has allowed the machines to remain operating while the lawsuit is pending. The Ohio Lottery Commission also has given veterans and fraternal posts its next generation multi-purpose gaming devices.? ................
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