CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Building Ohio Jobs – In his 2008 State of the State address, Gov. Ted Strickland proposed a major new $1.7 billion jobs stimulus package. The plan will be funded primarily through the issuance of general obligation bonds backed by the state. A constitutional amendment is required in order to permit the state to issue the bonds. $1 billion would be invested in the state’s infrastructure, while $700 million would be invested in job-creating industry clusters. The principal and interest on the bonds would be repaid over 20 years. The Governor has asked the legislature to place the initiative on the ballot, but legislative leaders have expressed concerns about the state taking on additional indebtedness. Should the legislature not act on the Governor’s request, he has pledged to mount an effort to obtain the 402,276 signatures required to qualify the amendment for the November ballot .

Casino Gambling–A group called MyOhioNow is currently circulating petitions in an effort to put on the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment that would permit one privately-owned casino to operate in Ohio. The amendment specifies that the casino would be located at the intersection of State Route 73 and Interstate 71 in Clinton County, near Wilmington. If adopted, all gaming activities permitted by the State of Nevada or any state adjacent to Ohio, with the exception of bets on races or sporting events, would be allowed. It would require the casino operator to make a minimum $600 million initial investment to develop the casino and a resort hotel and pay a gross casino receipts tax of up to 30 percent, to be distributed among all 88 Ohio counties. The signatures of 402,276 registered voters are required by August in order to qualify the amendment for the November ballot.

Initiative & Referendum Deadlines – Reps. Dan Stewart (D-Columbus) and Jon Peterson (R-Delaware) jointly introduced House Joint Resolution 3 to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. The amendment would require that initiative and referendum petitions be filed 125 days prior to the next regular election instead of only 90 days prior. The sponsors believe such a change would eliminate the likelihood that ballots would include issues that are not certified to be counted.


INITIATED STATUTES
Ohio Healthy Families Act – After spearheading the effort to undermine Ohio businesses by getting the minimum wage constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2006, organized labor is behind a new anti-business measure that will likely be on the ballot this year. This proposal, misleadingly called the Ohio Healthy Families Act, would require Ohio employers to provide workers with a minimum of seven paid sick days every year. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the coalition of organizations presented the proposed state law to the state legislature for its consideration in early January. The legislature has until early May to consider the proposal. If the legislature does not act within this timeframe, proponents can get it placed on the November ballot by gathering the signatures of 120,683 registered voters by the end of July. If the statute is ultimately enacted, either by the legislature or voters, it will be another costly mandate that would likely result in higher prices for consumers and additional lost jobs. Click here to learn more about this proposed law.