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May 30, 2008

 

NATIONAL AFFAIRS:

Ag Leaders Talk Food and Fuel with Media - Leaders from the top U.S. agriculture organizations held a media call Wednesday to discuss the "real deal" with the food and fuel situation. Nearly 100 credentialed media called into the briefing.

 

AFBF President Bob Stallman was joined on the call by David Cleavinger, president of the National Association of Wheat Growers; Ron Litterer, president of the National Corn Growers Association; Tom Buis, president of the National Farmers Union; Tim Lust, CEO of the National Sorghum Producers; and Bob Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association.

 

Stallman said the reason for the call was to set the record straight "because there's been a lot of hype lately in the news about fuel's role in driving up increased food prices. Adding to this hype is a recent blitz by a group that has ties to agriculture, whose propaganda is doing nothing short of dividing the industry in order to capitalize on the public's misconception about food prices," continued Stallman, referring to a multi-million dollar anti-ethanol campaign led by the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

 

"Efforts such as this campaign work against the national policy and goal of less reliance on foreign sources of fuel and only contribute to an environment where the real issues are ignored and little will be solved," Stallman said.

 

Stallman and the other ag leaders went on to point out the positive benefits of ethanol and renewable fuels, while dispelling popular myths about foods such as popcorn, tortillas and even beer—whose rising costs have been unfairly blamed on ethanol, even though the products aren't made from the type of corn used to produce the renewable fuel.

 

"Instead of using ethanol as a scapegoat for increased food prices, we should be having a real discussion about the business, economics and policy issues connected with the world of $130-plus per barrel oil," Stallman concluded.

 

STATE AFFAIRS:

Clean Ohio Resolution Goes to the Ballot - The Clean Ohio bond program for revitalization and conservation, HJR 5, passed the Senate this week by a vote of 31 -1. Voting against the measure was Sen. Keith Faber. The resolution will appear on the ballot in November. The $400 million bond would double the current funding amount for Clean Ohio. The Clean Ohio program will include $50 million per year for farmland preservation, $50 million per year for development of bioproducts materials, $100 million for transportation improvements such as rail or other transport, and $50 million for advanced and renewable energy services.

 

Economic Stimulus Package Moves Through the Legislature - The economic stimulus package, Substitute Amended HB 554, passed the Senate this week and received concurrence in the House on the Senate changes. Voting against the bill in the Senate were Sen. Ron Amstutz and Sen. Keith Faber. Speaking to the bill on the Senate floor, Amstutz referred to the package as a "spending stimulus bill."

 

The most notiable change made in the Senate was using $200 million from the Budget Stabilization Fund, better known as the "rainy day fund," for some of the infrastructure project components versus bonds backed by turnpike revenue and other sources. Gov. Ted Strickland has expressed concern over dipping into the "rainy day fund," however there was overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate to avoid using turnpike funds. Sen. Steve Bueher offered a human cloning ban amendment that only affects the biomedical portion of the bill.

 

Capital Bill Goes to Conference Committee - Although the Capital Corrections bill, HB 562, passed the Senate with a unanimous vote, the House failed to concur on the Senate changes to the bill. From here, the bill will go to conference committee extending spring session into June. The House refusal was due to the Senate throwing out some changes made to the bill in the House.

 

Under the Senate passed version of the bill, the largest allocation, $495 million, went to the Board of Regents for college and university facilities and capital improvements. Other allocations include:

·                    Public Works Commission: $189.5 million

·                    Department of Mental Health: $104.5 million

·                    Third Frontier/Wright Centers: $100 million

·                    Natural Resources: $89.2 million

·                    Rehabilitation and Correction: $72 million

·                    Development: $70 million

·                    Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission: $46.2 million

·                    Administrative Services: $30.3 million

·                    Mental Retardation: $21.5 million

·                    Youth Services: $20.5 million

·                    e-Tech Ohio: $10.2 million

Water Rights Constitutional Amendment Dies, Great Lakes Compact Gets Stalled - The Great Lakes Compact, HB 416 (Dolan), informally passed the Senate this week. However, hours later the Senate sent the bill back the Senate Environment & Natural Resource Committee. The delay of the bill is due to the constitutional amendment to protect private water rights, SJR 8 (Grendell), failing to receive the necessary votes in the House: SJR 8 did not receive the necessary three fifths majority in the House and will not appear on the November ballot. Senate President Bill Harris said he would not move HB 416 until the House passes SJR 8. While in committee, HB 416 was amended so the bill would not take effect until Dec. 8. This amendment was put in place by Sen. Tim Grendell because it was his hope SJR 8 would pass in the fall election before the compact was ratified.

 

Line Fence Bill Closer to Becoming a Reality - HB 323, sponsored by Rep. Bob Gibbs, passed the Senate with unanimous support this week. However, before the bill is sent to the governor for his signature, the House needs to concur on amendments made in the Senate. One amendment changed the amount that a neighbor would reimburse the fence owner if the neighbor uses the fence to maintain livestock from 50 percent of the cost of building and maintaining said fence to "one-thirtieth of the total cost multiplied by the number of years" the fence had been in place.

 

Under this bill, a landowner who wants to construct a fence where none existed will be responsible for the cost of building and maintaining the fence. The bill also creates a cost sharing mechanism for neighbors, allows neighbors to agree that no fence is needed, prohibits the removal of a fence without notification and establishes liability for damages caused by trespassing livestock.

 

Insurance Fraud Prevention Bill Awaits Governor's Signature - Amended HB 404, sponsored by Rep. Jay Hottinger, passed the Senate and received concurrence in the House this week. The bill is designed to prevent transactions in which investors offer to pay aging Ohioans for their life insurance policies. These transactions are referred to as Stranger Originated Life Insurance (STOLI) transactions. With certain exceptions, the bill will pass a five-year moratorium on the transfer of a life insurance policy. However, an amendment was added in the Senate to allow some consumers to sell policies within two years assuming they follow certain requirements. The bill sponsor testified these STOLI transactions can have adverse tax consequences for the policyholder, and many times elderly Ohioans are victimized in these types of transactions.

 

OFBF Works with Others to Fight Timber Theft - Rep. Ross McGregor is asking the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Forestry Association and Ohio Farm Bureau to come up with a plan to reduce timber theft in Ohio. Ohio law requires property owners to prove that timber theft was "intentional," a standard nearly impossible to enforce. In addition to changing this standard, McGregor is eyeing possible changes to civil penalties for timber theft, as well as a comprehensive timber theft educational campaign.

 

CONTACT

Niki Clum

Director of Constituent Action

nclum@ofbf.org