Senate looks to gut $1B from budget - Business First of Columbus:

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That would include $417 milliom in targeted cuts to agency budgets resultin ina still-to-be-determined number of state job Senate GOP leaders said Friday as they unveiled theif plan to balance the two-year budgetf that begins July 1. Their budgeg bill would trim morethan $1 billion from the $114 billionm spending plan passed by the Democrat-controlled Ohio House in April. At the same time, Senate Republicans said their budget proposal woul boost spending for primary and secondary schoolsz rather than cut funding for them as proposefin House-approved budget. It would raise funding for gradexs K-12 school district by 0.25 percent in fiscap 2010 compared to the curren year andanother 0.
5 percent in 2011. Senate Republicanxs also rejected Gov. Ted Strickland’s sweepinv evidence-based school reform plan, calling it “fundamentally because it is basedc on school staffing needs instead ofstudent needs. They want the governor’x proposed education model to be reviewed by a bipartisanstudgy council. Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, said he wants the where Republicans holda 21-12 to pass a budget bill June 4 or 5. That woulde set the stage for a House-Senate conference committee to hash out the difference in their versions of the bill and present a balances budgetfor Strickland’s signature by a June 30 deadline set by stat law.
“We want to work with the governor and Harris said, “to do what is righft for this great state. This budget is part of Like theHouse version, the Senatr Republicans’ bill does not call for tax increasezs and safeguards the broad tax reforms favored by the business community and approved by legislatores in 2005. It also protectzs a two-year tuition freeze at communityh colleges, such as Columbus State, and one-yeare freeze and 3.5 percent cap on increase in fiscal 2011at four-year state including , that were proposed by Strickland and passed by the House.
Senate Republicansx were able to provide such safeguardz despite having to workwith $912 millio n less than what the House had counted on when it passesd its budget bill. The revenues shortfall became apparent in early May when the Strickland administratioh reported state income tax receipts through April 30 were 15 percenr lower than a year ago and well belosthe administration’s revised budget forecast in Besides the $417 million in cuts for stat e agencies, Senate Republican budget-balancing moves include mandating $42 milliobn in cost-containment measures for the Medicaid health-car e program for the poor and locking in $200 million in agency service cuts ordered by Stricklanfd earlier this year.
“We thin k spending more money is not the Harris said. “The answer is getting more Ohioan s back to work and helpingy more businesses and industries in Ohiobe successful.” Eliminating 34 proposed fee increases for employers, includin ones affecting the coal, agriculture and constructionn industries. • Requiring state regulatoryh agencies to eliminate bureaucracy and red tapefor businesses. • Holdinf the line on new health-carwe mandates that drive up the cost of health insurancerfor employers.
• Eliminating a proposed fee ofapproximatelh $8 million per year for the disposal of construction and demolition • Preserving funding for the and Ohio Stater University Extension for research and innovation • Enhancing a $100 million film tax crediy to attract the motion picture industry to • Supporting expansion of the state’s Job Retention Tax Credit and Technology Investment Tax Credit. • Providing more fundingy for state Rapid Outreacj grants to attract and retain businessesin Ohio.