Ohio: Armond Budish

House Speaker Armond Budish, a Beachwood Democrat who is more receptive to gamb-ling, has said he backs a referendum on the issue.

Yesterday, fans rallied for a proposal that would allow 14,000 video slot machines at the state's seven racetracks. Two of the tracks are in Franklin County: Scioto Downs south of Columbus and Beulah Park in Grove City.

The Ohio State Racing Commission, which endorses the proposal, estimates that it could provide as much as $625 million a year for public education by 2013.

The state is confronting a budget shortfall that could reach $3 billion in 2010-11. Backers of the slots-at-racetracks plan say gambling revenue won't fix the state budget but would provide a more attractive alternative to large tax increases or broad cuts in state services.

I received a release from Representative Barbara Sears who does represent part of Northwestern Ohio and one from the Governor’s office and one from the Ohio Democratic Party. I’m including Sears first, then one of the others as a contrast:

Representative Sears Announces Passage of State Budget

COLUMBUS— State Representative Barbara R. Sears (R- Sylvania) yesterday announced the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 1, the two-year, $54 billion state operating budget. The bill includes funding for the operation of state government agencies and services.

The House-passed version of House Bill 1 increases government spending by more than $1 billion over the next two years.

This in via e-mail by the Governor’s office, also worthy of pointing out locally is that Toledo ranked third behind Dayton and Arkon for the number of projects in 2008 in a municipality with a population of 200,000 to one million.

Ohio Leads the Nation in New and Expanded Business Facility Investment

Wins Governor’s Cup for Third Straight Year

Columbus, Ohio – Governor Ted Strickland and Lt. Governor Lee Fisher today joined members of Ohio’s business and economic development communities and Ohio General Assembly to announce that the State of Ohio has been awarded Site Selection magazine’s Governor’s Cup Award for leading the nation in new and expanded facilities in 2008.

As a lobbyist for Ohio's poor, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt has been giving state lawmakers a crash course on more than the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks she directs.

"I find myself being the historian on issues related to health and human services and on how the state has come to welfare reform," she said.

"At least half of my meetings are just spent putting this into a historical perspective."

Hamler-Fugitt is a veteran working to influence her ninth two-year state budget.

One recent week, she raced to more than 30 meetings with legislators and other advocates.

Thirty-two of the 99 state representatives who took office in November have never been lawmakers before, making advocates like Hamler-Fugitt and scores of other lobbyists the experts on the budget process and related issues.