COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Governor Ted Strickland will soon see a slew of bills come across his desk this week. Many of them are the efforts of Ohio Republican lawmakers who will soon lose control of the legislative agenda. For each of the bills passed by the legislature, Governor Strickland must now decide whether to sign it into law, or reject it with a veto.
Soldiers from Ohio could soon be rewarded by the state. Lawmakers approved House Bill 649 which would use money from the “Rainy Day Fund” to pay bonuses to combat veterans. Representative Jay Hottinger from Newark tells NBC 4, “It’s much better to pay with cash today as opposed to bonding it. It’s going to be more expensive over the course of time.” But democrats favor issuing bonds to borrow the money, so Governor Strickland is expected to veto the bill.
Senate Bill 380 would reduce the early voting window from 35 days before an election to 20 days. This would eliminate the so-called “Golden Week” when voters can register and vote on the same day.
House Bill 648 would set punishments for state employees guilty of looking at confidential records without a valid reason. This comes after the “Joe the Plumber” incident with Helen Jones Kelly, director of The Ohio Jobs and Family Services, looked up his personal information on state computers.
One law that does go into effect within the next 90 days is the “Safe Haven Law”. It would allow parents to surrender a newborn child to certain agencies will be extended from 72 hours to 30 days.
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