Jon Husted

Strickland also expects to kill a bill that would provide tax credits to the film industry for movies shot in Ohio and an election-related measure that would eliminate same-day registration and voting by shortening the window for early voting from the 35 days before an election to 20.

The film tax-credit bill would cost more in lost revenue than it would benefit Ohio, Strickland has said.

The elections bill has been opposed by Secretary of State and fellow Democrat Jennifer Brunner, who argued that changes in election law should not be rushed.

The Senate adjourned yesterday afternoon, putting an end to the 127th General Assembly. All bills that did not pass are wiped out, and the new legislature will start in January with a Democratic-controlled House for the first time since 1994.

There's no shame in that; times are hard.

But let's not give credit to House Speaker Jon Husted for ushering through a bonus plan that has a chance of becoming law.

Instead, the House this week approved a measure that is doomed because Gov. Strickland has said he will not sign it.

Perhaps the two have an honest difference of opinion, but when you know a bill faces an almost-certain veto, is it patriotism or politics that propels it?

The House passed a bill Tuesday that would award military bonuses using $200 million from the state's cash reserves. Strickland supports a plan the Senate passed in January that would instead issue bonds -- basically taking out a loan -- to pay for the bonuses.

In an update on the 2-year-old audit, Taylor, a Republican, said there has been some progress, but many "missed opportunities."

"Ohio's Medicaid program still cries out for comprehensive reform," she said in a press conference.

Medicaid Director John Corlett disputed the major findings of Taylor's audit update. He said the state's $13 billion health-care program for the poor and disabled, managed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, actually implemented 74 of the 109 original recommendations.

Further, Corlett said Medicaid savings far exceed Taylor's $100 million estimate. He said the biggest savings was $1.4 billion in "avoided costs" because of changes in commercial and Medicaid billing. The agency also received $180 million more in revenue from third parties and implemented $159 million in cost-containment initiatives, he said.

Ohio Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland said in a statement that he would veto legislation in its current form that would pay Ohio veterans a bonus using rainy-day funds.

"I strongly support honoring Ohio veterans with a bonus paid for by selling bonds, just as our state has done in the past and just as the Ohio Senate has voted to do," Strickland said. "However, considering the historic budget challenges before us, I do not believe it is fiscally responsible to pay for this worthy priority with rainy-day funds that are designed to be used for budget emergencies.  Therefore, if the bill remains in its current form I would veto it."

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (D) has weak approval ratings but potential challenge Jon Husted is mostly unknown to Ohioans.

Brunner's job approval rating stands at 39 percent, according to a poll from the Quinnipiac Polling Institute. Thirty-three percent said they didn't know and 28 percent have an unfavorable opinion.

COLUMBUS – A new guard is set to lead Republicans for the next two years, the party’s incoming chair said.

Ohio Republican Party deputy chair Kevin DeWine made the remarks Thursday during a discussion of the Ohio GOP’s future following two elections of wide-ranging defeats for his party.

DeWine said he sees eight high and low-profile Republicans leading the party in 2010 during a press conference at party headquarters Thursday.

The mailer against state Rep. Nero: Ohio Democratic Party

State Rep. Richard Nero (R-Hudson) is accusing the Ohio Democratic Party is anti-Italian bigotry for its direct-mail attack on him.

Nero is asking ODP chair Chris Redfern and opponent Mike Moran (D-Hudson) to apologize to him, Italian-Americans and members of the 42nd district for the ODP’s mailer showing Nero in ancient Roman garb and accusing him of having “fiddled while Ohio burned.”

Specifically, the mailer attacks Nero for not staying through his first day in the state House after being appointed as John Widowfield’s (R) replacement in May. Nero stayed for the first portion of the House’s session, cast votes and then left. The mailer said Nero left the session to go to Las Vegas and missed a “critical vote to protect Ohio’s water supply,” which he’s admitted is true.

COLUMBUS – State House Speaker Jon Husted (R-Kettering) defended John McCain’s decision to stop campaigning and go to Washington, D.C. to handle the bailout bill as a move to hold the government accountable for any bill that passes.

Husted, speaking with small business owners who support McCain at the campaign’s headquarters, said the press conference was to defend McCain from Democratic charges that he was needlessly politicizing the bailout bill.

“What we’re trying to do today is to defend a decision where we believe that the Democrats are trying to have it both ways,” Husted said, adding that Democrats first called on McCain to help the bill pass and then denounced his appearance in Washington as political.

House Speaker Jon Husted (R-Kettering) is widely believed to be eyeing the Secretary of State post currently held by Democrat Jennifer Brunner, who he considers to be vulnerable. Many think he would be her most likely and formidable opponent in 2010.

Even if he faced primary opposition, he would have to be considered the strongly favored Republican candidate. The fact that he's been able to raise $3.3 million for other Republicans underscores his fundraising prowess and the fact that he's already endeared himself to many of them. It also suggests he's capable of raising the very large sums needed to run a state-wide campaign.

Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown made the announcement with Service Employees International Union District 1199 President Becky Williams Thursday morning that the union-led coalition is ending its campaign to put an issue on the ballot Nov. 4 that would require employers to give full-time workers seven paid sick days a year.

The coalition leaders, including SEIU and the Healthy Families Act Coalition, will instead work to pass a federal paid sick-leave bill co-sponsored by Brown that would apply to all states.

Ohio leaders have praised the removal of the contentious issue from Ohio's ballot, but Democrats and Republican leaders are still divided over the issue. Ohio Democrats support the measure in national form, while Ohio Republican leaders criticize any "mandates" on businesses and say that making the issue national makes the presidential election that much more important.