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The 2005 State Policy Development Committee met for two days of informational meetings in early September. The committee heard from government, association, business and university personnel regarding issues ranging from farm labor, the 2007 Farm Bill, energy, natural resources, taxes, drainage and insurance. The committee will meet again in November to consider all county policy suggestions approved at county annual meetings and to finalize the proposed policies that delegates will approve at OFBF's annual meeting Nov. 30 to Dec. 2

Issues Facing Ohio
Rep. Chris Redfern, D-Catawba Island, is Ohio House minority leader. He spoke to the committee about issues facing Ohio. In his remarks, he said Democrats were successful in gaining seats in the Ohio House in the 2004 elections. He is confident the successes in 2004 will be replicated in 2006 based on issues such as the budget, tax reform and the campaign financing reporting issues that have taken place this summer.

He said the budget just passed is bad for rural Ohio, farmers and manufacturers and will have an "onerous and draconian effect in the long term."

Ohio’s tax reform means the state has gone from taking at the end (profits) to taking at the beginning (commercial activity tax), Redfern said. He said more than 80 percent of the economic output in the state is from businesses with less than 300 employees. He suggested that the state step back from the CAT and study revenue and reform other taxes instead, such as the corporate franchise tax.

He said it is possible to lower taxes and fund all the state’s priorities. He suggested the income tax could be reduced for every bracket, but in a less aggressive way, particularly for the lowest three brackets. Instead of a 21 percent decrease in taxes, a 10 percent to 12 percent decrease would free up $900 million over two years. In addition, state government should have to defend its budgets and perform audits and reviews in the same way counties do now. "This isn’t my idea; it’s George W. Bush’s idea," he said. Another way to raise income is to stop funding charter schools and give it to the public schools.

He has sponsored bipartisan legislation that would help reform campaign financing. He said the reform isn’t about the activities politicians engage in with contributors, such as golfing or fishing, but government’s responsibility to file the proper paperwork. He also would like to end the practice of companies making political contributions to elected officials they are doing business with. He said all the members of the House and Senate should be held to the same standard as the governor to report. "We should expect a higher standard for elected officials," he said.

Eminent Domain
State Sen. Timothy Grendell, R-Chesterland, discussed Senate Bill 167, which would establish a moratorium on the use of eminent domain by any state government entity until December 2006. He said he introduced the bill as a response to the Kelo decision (See story on page 1) and to keep intact the traditional, free market system Ohio has for selling private property. He said if developers want to buy land, they should deal directly with the property owner. Grendell said 37 states have already started to react to the Kelo decision. If the bill is passed and a moratorium is enacted, Grendell would like a task force of farmers and members of government and the real estate community to come together to determine the best way to fix eminent domain law and to more tightly define the term "blight." "We don’t want to take away the true use of eminent domain. We don’t want to kill it but limit it to its original concept," he said.

Policy Development Committee Members:
State board
Sparky Weilnau, Erie, chairman
Gary Baldosser, Seneca
Gale Betterly, Summit
Kim Davis, Carroll
Ellen Joslin, Shelby
Judy Loudenslager, Marion
Bill Lowe, Union
Bob Peterson, Fayette
Brent Porteus, Coshocton
Mike Schumm, Van Wert
Andra Troyer, Madison
Keith Truckor, Fulton
Merlin Wentworth, Noble
Tim Williams, Pike
Eric Wolfer, Clermont
Jeff Zellers, Stark
County members
Kent Bauman, Adams
Randy Brown, Wyandot
Bob Earl, Huron
Bob Gracely, Marion
Brian Harbage, Clark
Brent Hostetler, Madison
Darrell Kick, Holmes
Eddie Lou Meimer, Morrow
Floyd Simpson, Belmont
Harold Swain, Ashland

Caption: Rep. Chris Redfern, Ohio House Minority Leader, (second from left) addressed the state Policy Development Committee. He said Democrats will increase their numbers in the state legislature due to the current General Assembly’s decisions on the budget, tax reform and lax campaign finance reporting.