DELPHOS — State Rep. Bob Cupp, R-Lima, discussed a variety of topics ranging from marijuana legalization to education reforms during a visit to the Delphos Public Library on Tuesday.
The stop was part of a series of legislative meetings held this week in northwest Ohio. Cupp also visited libraries in Lima, Bluffton and Spencerville.
Cupp described education reforms in Ohio’s biennial budget as a “mixed pot” of things he liked and didn’t like.
He said the phase out of the tangible personal property tax has been too rapid, and he is drafting a bill to help soften the reduction of the tax replacement. Cupp said certain school districts, including Bath and Shawnee, rely on the TPP reimbursement for nearly one quarter of their operating budgets. TPP refers to property, except land or buildings, that can be seen, weighed, measured, felt, touched or otherwise perceived by the senses.
“In 2006, there was some idea that this is going to be gradually phased out,” Cupp said. “Instead, its been stop and start and then it’s started to be rapidly phased out. I think it’s too rapid, and it’s going to put some political subdivisions and their taxpayers in a costly situation.”
He said without the TPP, certain school districts may have to seek funding from taxpayers in the near future.
Cupp said he would have also liked to see a permanent school funding formula included in the budget because it creates more predictability and stability for school districts. He said legislation passed by the Ohio House of Representatives included permanent school funding, but the bill was rejected by the Senate. Cupp said he is hoping it will be included in the next biennial budget.
“Schools will be better able to plan,” he said. “Right now it’s kind of up and down. They’re not quite sure two years from now what the mechanism is to distribute funds. I think it [permanent school funding legislation] would be a good thing.”
Cupp said he was happy the new state budget included the elimination of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers assessment, or PARCC, which he said put too much of a burden on school districts. He said he has always advocated for more local control when it comes to assessing students.
“Ohio was a leader in developing accountability that is testing students to see if they’re actually learning what they’re being taught,” he said. “Then the federal government got involved and went way overboard. Now, Ohio can choose what’s appropriate and I think that’s good.”
On the issue of marijuana, Cupp said he is in favor of legalizing the drug for medical use but is opposed to legal, recreational use.
“I think there is a potential value for well-controlled medical marijuana,” he said.
He mentioned speaking to a parent of a child with epilepsy, and how a chemical found in marijuana can reduce seizures associated with the disease without the hallucinogenic effects.
“If it [marijuana] can be helpful medicinally, I think we should go that way,” Cupp said. “That’s an area that really needs some additional look and study.”
Regarding recreational marijuana, Cupp said legalizing the drug would exacerbate the current situation in which local employers are having trouble finding employees to pass a drug screen.
“If you have a legal substance, maybe more people will say it doesn’t matter, but it will matter,” he said. “I think it would create a worse environment for employers.”
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