Ohio: Pat Tiberi

WASHINGTON — Museums, greenhouses, parks and sewer projects are just a few of the special spending priorities that lawmakers from Ohio put in the $410 billion spending bill that could pass the Senate tonight. Called "earmarks," these spending requests were not debated as national priorities, nor were they left to federal agencies to decide.

Rather, members of Congress said that they knew best when it came to spending federal money on their state.

The Plain Dealer recently highlighted a number of Ohio earmarks, including money for art museum cataloguing in Columbus (courtesy of Sen. George Voinovich) and promotion of the visual arts in downtown Toledo (thanks to Rep.

Speaking to Columbus police recruits whose jobs were spared by the city's first share of economic-stimulus money, Obama announced that the Justice Department will begin sending more cash to central Ohio for local governments facing similar problems paying for police and anti-crime programs.

It's part of $61.6 million targeted for law enforcement in Ohio and $2 billion nationwide. The money will begin flowing within 15 days, he said, as federal officials approve plans submitted by states, counties, cities, villages and townships.

The money "will help communities throughout America keep their neighborhoods safer with more cops, more prosecutors, more probation officers, more radios and equipment, more help for crime victims and more crime-prevention programs for youth," Obama said.

By a vote of 60-38, the Senate passed the bill hours after the House approved an identical package by a vote of 246-183. Only three Senate Republicans and no House Republicans supported the measure, which now awaits President Barack Obama's signature.

Although most senators voted shortly after 5:30 p.m., the 60th and final vote was not cast until 10:46 p.m. by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Brown had been in Mansfield for a service for his mother, Emily Campbell Brown, who died Feb. 2 at age 88.

The White House arranged to fly Brown to Washington last night on a government plane after concluding he could not have reached the Capitol by a regular commercial flight.

Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern slammed various Ohio Republican U.S. Representatives Thursday for voting against legislation to provide bridge loans to the U.S. auto industry.