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The 125^th General Assembly convened in Columbus last January, and it featured many new faces dealing with many old problems. Budget issues topped the list for state lawmakers, and other legislative efforts surrounded many issues including the Third Frontier, school funding and weight variances.

• Third Frontier – OFBF announced its opposition to State Issue 1 in October and encouraged members to vote against the issue that would commit Ohio to going $500 million in debt to finance development of high tech industry. The state's largest farm organization opposed the issue because "Ohio needs to fix the business climate for agriculture and other exisiting businesses before we look to attract new industries," according to John C. (Jack) Fisher, OFBF executive vice president.

• School funding – the problem of how to fund Ohio’s schools is being addressed by a special task force. One member of the new panel is Scott Williams, OFBF director of legislative affairs. The task force is analyzing the issues surrounding school funding and student achievement, and working to build consensus around recommendations that will have a lasting impact on Ohio’s system of primary and secondary education. The governor’s goal with the formation of the commission is to fund schools in a way that provides predictable funding, is affordable within the context of the state’s economy, spends money effectively and supports student achievement. Williams said Ohio Farm Bureau is looking out for the interests of farmers, who are property owners and pay considerable property taxes.

• Weight variances – A new law increases the allowed weight variances for farm trucks hauling agricultural commodities from the "point of production" to the "first point of delivery." The law also applies to log and coal trucks. The weight variance was increased to 7.5 percent over the established weight limit, an increase from 5 percent. The new regulations go into effect Jan. 1, 2004.