The 130th Ohio General Assembly

The following column was submitted by State Representative Dorothy Pelanda.
January 7, 2013, marked the beginning of the 130th Ohio General Assembly. All 99 House members and 18 Senators took the oath of office. Republicans control the House 60 to 39, and the Senate by a margin of 23 to 10.

The Ohio House has 14 new members and three returning former legislators—the lowest turnover for that body in almost a decade. This compares to 26 new members in January 2011, but that statistic tells only part of the story. A number of House members from the 129th General Assembly were appointed to positions in the Kasich administration, others moved to the Senate, and still others resigned. By the end of the 129th General Assembly, a total of 43 members were serving in the House who were not there during the 128th General Assembly.

The Senate will seat only two new members, both of whom are coming from the House: Randy Gardner (R – Bowling Green) and Joe Uecker (R – Miami Township).

Veterans and rookies alike will consider many important issues during the upcoming session. Governor Kasich is expected to release his budget proposal on February 4, and it is widely expected to contain major tax and school funding reform.

I support the Governor’s goal of reducing – and even eliminating – Ohio’s income tax. The difficulty will be in finding a path from the status quo to a new system of taxation. No one likes to pay taxes, but we need to fund essential government services. To the extent that we pay taxes, they should be broad-based, competitively neutral, and administered in a cost-effective manner. To achieve meaningful tax reform will require a dedicated effort by many stakeholders, but it can be done.

Closely related to the tax discussion will be educational funding reform. It is our duty to ensure that all of Ohio’s children have quality educational opportunities, and we will work with the Administration in finding a fair and balanced approach to school funding. I firmly believe that the quality of Ohio’s future is directly proportional to the opportunities we provide to our young people. We want them to stay in Ohio and prosper.

I am honored to serve as your State Representative, and my door is always open. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance.

State Representative Dorothy Liggett Pelanda represents the 83rd House District in the Ohio House of Representatives, which includes Union and Logan counties, as well as most of Marion County. You can find more information about and contact Pelanda by clicking here.