For Immediate Release Contact: Andrea Fejes

May 3, 2011 614-221-4570, andrea@oneohionow.org

House Substitute Budget Bill Makes Life Harder for Working Families

One Ohio Now issued the following statement on the House Finance Committee voting the
substitute budget bill to the floor for a vote:

The House Finance Committee missed an opportunity to approach this crisis in a reasonable,
balanced way, instead of relying mostly on cuts to vital services upon which Ohioans depend.

Andrea Fejes, One Ohio Now Coordinator said, “The committee failed to continue to support the
investments that make Ohio a great place to live and work and that protect the most vulnerable. Ohio’s
children, seniors, sick and our hard working middle class will suffer from this counterproductive
approach.”

The Akron Beacon Journal called for a balanced approach to reaching a balanced budget in an editorial
on May 1, 2011. They said, “Bob Taft and George Voinovich – two Republicans – understood the
consequences of cutting too deeply.” They added, “[Ohio] also must invest now in its future.”i

This budget proposal is extreme and inflexible in the face of rising needs. As the budget continues to
move through the Legislature, they should adopt a middle ground instead – a plan that doesn’t hinder
Ohio’s economic vitality by reducing services essential for creating jobs and building prosperity.

A balanced approach that includes revenues instead of a cuts-only strategy is better for families
struggling in these tough economic times. There are revenue options available that would ensure
accountability, equity and balance -- like reviewing and reducing unproductive tax loopholes,
strengthening major corporate taxes and making the personal income tax more equitable and adequate
to meet Ohio's needs.

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One Ohio Now is a coalition of over 45 member organizations, including health and human services,
transportation, educators, school board members and labor, united for a balanced approach to meeting
Ohio’s needs.

Advocates for Budget Legislation Equality•AFSCME Council 8•America Votes – Ohio•Center for Working Class Studies –
Youngstown State University•Children’s Defense Fund – Ohio•Cleveland Jobs with Justice•Cleveland Tenants
Organization•Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO)•Columbus Jobs with Justice•Communications Workers
of America •Community Partners for Affordable Accessible Health Care•Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People •The
Empowerment Center of Greater Cleveland•Environmental Health Watch•Georgetown Federation of Teachers •The Hunger
Network in Ohio •Legal Aid of Southwest Ohio•LiveCLEVELAND!•Lutheran Metro Ministries•Mahoning Valley Organizing
Collaborative (MVOC)•Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless •Ohio AFL-CIO• Ohio Association of School Business Officials
(OASBO) •Ohio CDC Association•Ohio Center for Progressive Leadership•Ohio Civil Service Employees Association
(OCSEA)•Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding •Ohio Conference on Fair Trade•Ohio Education
Association (OEA)•Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT)•Ohio Poverty Law Center• Ohio PTA•Ohio Public Transit Association
(OPTA)•Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA)•Ohio Voice•Ohio Youth Voices•Planned Parenthood Affiliates of
Ohio•PolicyBridge•Policy Matters Ohio•ProgressOhio•SEIU 1199•Toledo Jobs with Justice•UFCW Local 1059•UHCAN
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See Akron Beacon Journal Editorial: “Echo in the House”
http://www.ohio.com/editorial/opinions/121046119.html

Echo in the House

Republicans continue the imbalanced approach to a balanced budget, with the House
plan largely following the governor's script
Published on Sunday, May 01, 2011

Republicans in charge of the Ohio House heard the concerns of school districts unhappy with the depth of spending
cuts proposed by Gov. John Kasich. What did Speaker William Batchelder and his team do in response? They added
$40 million to the school funding formula. They also proposed limiting reductions to no more than 20 percent for a
district, a step that would affect roughly two dozen wealthier school systems across the state.

No doubt, school officials are pleased to see almost any improvement in their prospects. Know that the additional
money hardly alters the challenge facing districts, proposed state spending reductions of more than $800 million.
More, House Republicans removed a change in pension payments, one of the ''tools'' the governor put forward to
help districts gain savings. Lawmakers talk about addressing the pension problem as a whole at a later date, though
this budget change reinforces a dismaying pattern of ducking this difficult yet pressing matter.

The governor and fellow Republicans argue persuasively that school districts must become more efficient, finding
ways to save through such things as combined services. The trouble is, their budget plans move too fast, inviting
more harm than good, neglecting a necessary investment.

Where did House Republicans find the added revenue? Among other things, they fiddled with assumptions, tapped
unclaimed funds and called for a tax amnesty program. Better to have proposed higher income taxes, rasing the top
rate, affecting a tiny percentage of households. In that way, lawmakers would make a sustained commitment to what
the governor rightly calls our ''seed corn.''

That would have translated into a budget plan still heavily dependent on spending cuts to close the huge deficit, and
far from the responsible course of a splitting the difference, half spending cuts, half tax increases. In a recent fund-
raising letter, the governor jabbed Democrats for seeking tax increases. ''Is that their answer for everything?'' he
asked mockingly. No one is talking about a budget fix that doesn't include substantial spending reductions. More, Bob
Taft and George Voinovich — two Republicans — understood the consequences of cutting too deeply.

Clearly, John Kasich and the rest of the Republicans at the Statehouse are not going to raise taxes. That doesn't
mean the contrast shouldn't be drawn, or the consequences outlined of budget plans lacking balance in their
approach. Ohio must revamp the way government works. It also must invest adequately now in its future.