COLUMBUS — Several regional legislators were honored with awards this past week, while a bill set to help families shopping for school supplies is now heading to the governor’s desk.
Ohio House of Representatives
On Wednesday, the Ohio House passed Senate Bill 264, which would create a sales tax holiday the first weekend of August for back-to-school shopping.
During this three-day holiday, certain school supply purchases would be exempt from both state and county sales taxes. Clothing up to $75 per item and school supplies and instruction materials up to $20 per item would qualify for the exemption. Reps. Robert Cupp, R-Lima, Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, Jim Buchy, R-Greenville, Robert Sprague, R-Findlay, and Nino Vitale, R-Urbana, all voted in favor of the bill, with Rep. with Rep. Tony Burkley, R-Payne, not voting. Rep. Jim Butler, R-Oakwood, provided the lone dissenting vote in the House.
Having passed the Senate on Feb. 23, the bill will now go to Gov. John Kasich’s desk for his signature. Sens. Keith Faber, R-Celina, and Cliff Hite, R-Findlay, had voted in favor of the bill in February.
Rep. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon: On Wednesday, McColley praised the Ohio House for passing a resolution urging Congress to reform the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
Under the current act, individuals have been able to send predatory letters to small businesses under the auspices of this law, not demanding them to address any violations, but instead to threaten them into settling for money.
“I believe it is important that we continue to allow Americans with disabilities to be given the ability to lead normal lives, which is what the ADA was meant to accomplish,” he said. “However, it is a clear abuse of our judicial system for individuals to threaten, harass, and intimidate businesses into paying into abusive ‘get rich quick’ schemes while hiding behind the protections of the ADA.”
Ohio Senate
Sen. Keith Faber, R-Celina: On Tuesday, Faber was awarded the Council of Smaller Enterprises Advocate of the Year Award for his support of small businesses, including his opposition to increases to the commercial activity tax and the expansion of sales and use taxes to a variety of private businesses.
“The entrepreneurial spirit of small business is at the heart of Ohio’s progress, and I will continue to work to ensure our state provides opportunities for our small businesses to grow and prosper,” he said.
U.S. House of Representatives
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana: On Wednesday, Jordan received a perfect score from the American Conservative Union for his voting record last year, giving him a 100 percent rating over his nine years in office.
“The American Conservative Union is a recognized leader of the conservative movement, and it is an honor to once again be recognized by ACU’s scorecard,” he said. “I’m proud to stand with ACU for American families and against corporate handouts and government cronyism.”
Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green: Latta was honored with the 2016 Thomas Jefferson Award from the International Food Service Distributors Association for his efforts in increasing opportunity and reducing regulations.
“I thank the International Food Service Distributors Association for presenting me with this award and for their members’ dedication to ensuring customers are provided with quality dining service.” he said. “I remain committed to working with my colleagues to ensure the federal government does not impose burdensome regulations on businesses that would hurt their customer service.”
U.S. Senate
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio: Provisions from Brown’s Clean Water Affordability Act have been included in the Senate’s Water Resources Development Act of 2016.
Included are provisions that recognize local economic trends in the setting of EPA compliance dates, authorize $1.8 billion in competitive grants over the next five years to help offset costs of updating local water systems, require the EPA to increase its emphasis on green infrastructure and foster integrated planning to help communities prioritize its water infrastructure investments in the most affordable way.
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio: Portman was honored Saturday with the Ohio National Guard Association’s General Charles Dick Award for Legislative Excellence for his support for the guard.
“The Ohio National Guard keeps us safe, and Ohio strong,” Portman said. “I am honored to receive this award, and even prouder to support the work of the Ohio National Guard. I look forward to continuing to partner with the Ohio National Guard to help bolster the Guard’s range of capabilities and missions at home and abroad.”
On Monday, Portman joined 82 other senators, both Republican and Democrat in urging the Obama administration to conclude a memorandum of understanding to help provide Israel with resources to strengthen its security. Brown did not include himself in that communication.
