* As the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate plays games with the state budget, students, teachers, parents, and administrators are starting to worry about school funding. If the Ohio Senate refuses to pass Gov. Strickland's budget, schools and colleges might be forced to close and even lose federal funding.
Dispatch:
Gov. Ted Strickland says he will call the state legislature back to Columbus on Christmas day if necessary if they recess for the holidays without reaching agreement on how to resolve the budget deadlock....
....The Democratic-controlled House passed Strickland's plan to delay implementation of a 4.2 percent income tax rollback to fill the budget hole, but it has been stuck for weeks in the GOP-led Senate. Harris says his 21-member caucus will provide five votes if the income tax plan also includes changes to Ohio's 132-year-old public construction law.
That would require approval from all 12 Senate Democrats to pass the measure, and Democrats have insisted the budget fix not include additional major policy changes....
Call/email the Ohio Senate Phone: (614) 466-8086 Email: SD19@senate.state.oh.us and tell those Republicans to get off their you-know-whats and pass the Governor's budget. I'm tired of these Republicans playing games with our lives.