Steve Stivers: Always Offering Excuses
Columbus, OH –Mary Jo Kilroy’s campaign blasted Steve Stivers for breaking his promises and putting our children at risk amidst statements he made in the wake of a computer glitch which failed to report the arrests of school bus drivers around the state. In response to the glitch, Stivers said, “children deserve better,” failing to note his own failed record of protecting our Children. Stivers, who authored the law which mandated the reporting, was also responsible for writing a law which failed to keep sex offenders from serving as counselors at sleep away camps.
In 2005, Stivers sponsored legislation designed to keep kids safe at summer camp. However, the law required the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to monitor “child day camps” but made no reference to sleep-away camps. This created a loophole where the state didn’t have the authority to run background checks on counselors in Ohio’s “residential” or sleep-away camps.
In 2008, Stivers spent the entire election telling people that he was going to fix that loophole. He said that the bill with fixes would be brought up in fall. While the bill was drafted and introduced by Steve, he didn’t lift a finger to try and close the loophole he created. At every point, Stivers came up with excuse after excuse for why he didn’t fix this flawed legislation, even blaming a “busy legislative schedule.”
“The only thing that remains consistent about Steve Stivers is his pattern of double talk and excuses,” said Brad Bauman, Communications Director for Mary Jo Kilroy. “Whether he is worming his way out of explaining what he stands for, avoiding public debates or failing to protect our children as a legislator, he always has some answer, and never takes responsibility for his own actions.”
Stivers Failed to Fix Day Camp Regulations
In 2008, more than a month after being told they had 30 days to complete background checks of all employees, 12 children’s day camps in the state had not complied with the law. As the state stepped up enforcement for day camps it exposed a gap that they did not have oversight over background checks at overnight camps. Proposed legislation to give the department power over residential camps was to hit the Statehouse in the fall according to Stivers. [Columbus Dispatch, 7/29/08]
Stivers Bill Failed to Pass Before 2008 Summer Camp Season
In July 2008, Stivers had hoped to pass his bill to add teeth to enforcement provisions over background checks on employees at residential camps. The Women’s Caucus of the Ohio Democratic Party sent a letter to Stivers telling him that his failure to act had put kids at risk. Stivers said progress on the bill was stopped by difficulties in defining different types of camp employees and few working days on a busy legislative agenda. Stivers had first started working on the issue of background checks for camp employees in 2004. [Associated Press, 7/23/08]
Stivers Introduction of SB 321 in 2008
In 2008, Stivers offered SB 321 following an incident at a camp in Perry County in which a man charged was charged with sexually assaulting a young camper. The individual had previously been charged with indecent assault and endangering children
The point of SB 321 was to clarify existing language in Ohio Revised Code to require the background checks of employees and volunteers of camps that operated for one week or longer or those where youths stay overnight.
Stivers said a substitute version of the bill would be offered to include “criminal penalties for individuals who intentionally and knowingly circumvent the process of conducting background checks in order to elude discovery of a criminal record of an employee.” [Daily Record, 5/25/08]
Appears SB 321 did not Get Taken Up Later in Session
The official status report for SB 321 on the Ohio State Senate’s record of the 127th General Assembly shows the bill being introduced on April 22, 2008, and being assigned to the Judiciary Criminal Justice committee. But then there is no more information. [Ohio Legislative Services Commission, SB321]
In 2005, Stivers sponsored legislation designed to keep kids safe at summer camp. However, the law required the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to monitor “child day camps” but made no reference to residential camps.“You live there, and you change clothes there, and you sleep there, and there’s a lot more opportunities to be alone with kids,” said Stivers in 2007. “It makes me pretty angry that we didn’t do a better job of protecting kids.” Stivers also said he would work to clarify the aspect of the law which caused it to apply only to paid workers. “Frankly,” he said, “we’re probably even going to come out and use the word volunteers to make it absolutely clear, so instead of being in legalese, it’s in English.” [Columbus Dispatch, 7/28/07]
Stivers didn't get the job done. He did nothing to fix the loophole. Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, demonstrated his lack of initiative in formally finishing the work he promised on this bill. He didn't do it. Stivers, who seems at times to be in the business of manufacturing excuses, allowed the loophole to remain and therefore has endangered our children.
I found this quote at Quote Garden:
The person who really wants to do something finds a way; the other person finds an excuse. ~Author Unknown
Stivers made a list of excuses on why he did not fix this measure on protecting our children. How many children were needlessly hurt because Stivers refused to get the job done on this legislation?
Steve Stivers has been a prolific excuse maker. Don't believe me? Here is a short list of some of his excuses:
1. Stivers did not show up at the recent Worthington debate with Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (Democrat), William Kammerer (Libertarian), and Bill Buckel (Write-in candidate). Even though the date had been set far in advance, Stivers had something else to do.
2. When Hi-Q wanted to build a factory farm with over 6,000,000 chickens, the blame went to Steve Stivers and a bill he co-sponsored that stripped the Ohio EPA of oversight for large factory farms. Stivers refused to take the blame and tried, unsuccessfully, to point the blame at previous legislation.
3. When Stivers was asked why he supported repealing the 17th amendment (allowed voters to directly vote for their own U.S. Senators) to the U.S. Constitution, he said he had misunderstood the question from the 912 questionnaire. Later, according to the Hill - "...Stivers acknowledged that repealing the 17th Amendment isn’t really a priority right now, but he said he sympathizes with its federalist underpinnings...."
4. Even though Ohio voters had approved an increase in the minimum wage, Stivers tried to make excuses why certain groups should not get the raise in the minimum wage. He said that certain groups should be exempt. Stivers lost this one because there had been no exemption in the original vote on the ballot.
5. Stivers always has the same excuse for anything that pushes regulations. Stivers calls regulations "job killers."