RELEASE: Boondoggles and Budget Follies Reinforce 1 in 9 Ohioans Unemployed

Release:

COLUMBUS—Five short months after Gov. Ted Strickland vowed to "move heaven and earth" to right Ohio's economy from the crippled state's finances and stomped-out job development, he has failed to address the fact that Ohio has now faced more than 14 months of double-digit unemployment.

“Never before have I seen such blatant disregard for the current economic woes by the majority or administration,” said House Republican Asst. Leader Louis W. Blessing, Jr., (R-Cincinnati). “They’re out of touch with reality. With 10.7 percent of Ohioans unemployed, now is not a time to raise taxes like they did with House Bill 318. Nor is it a time to place costly unfunded mandates onto schools at a time when they can least afford it, like they did in Strickland’s biennial budget as passed by his Democratic colleagues in the Statehouse.”
Conversely, House Republicans have worked diligently to get Ohio back to work. The “Future of Ohio” government reform package is a collection of 10 bills to get government spending under control, reduce government waste and improve Ohio’s business climate. However, since its introduction in February 2009, this legislation has only received one committee hearing. The House Republican Caucus remains hopeful that this and other cost-saving, job-creation measures will receive further committee hearings after an open, bipartisan discussion.