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Buchy Announces
Passage of Senate Bill 5
Legislation
benefits middle class, saves at-risk jobs, respects taxpayers
COLUMBUS—State Representative Jim Buchy (R-Greenville) has announced
that after 13 hearings, more than 60 hours of testimony and more than
200 witnesses over a period of nearly two months, Senate Bill 5 today
passed from the Ohio House of Representatives. This legislation
restores fairness for Ohio’s taxpayers and helps prevent mass layoffs
of dedicated public employees by giving local governments the
flexibility to manage their own finances.
Senate Bill 5 wholly reinvents the relationship between public-sector
unions, local governments and the taxpayers. With many local
governments threatened by bankruptcy and unable to control their costs,
many communities may suffer massive tax increases or widespread layoffs
just to keep public services solvent. This legislation—which restores
Ohioans’ influence over the government and its employees that they pay
for—aims to save these vital jobs while also lowering the tax burden on
the middle class.
Representative Buchy commented, “This bill is another building block in
the foundation to continue growth in Ohio.”
Among House modifications to S.B. 5 are provisions that allow
collective bargaining for safety equipment, permit communications
between bargaining parties, clarify that death benefit amounts for
spouses are not affected by changes in the bill, and eliminate jail
time as a possible penalty for striking.
The House version also removes the use of ticket quotas to determine
performance-based pay for law enforcement officials, eliminates
automatic union deductions without written consent, and prohibits “fair
share” fee penalties as a requirement to be a non-union member within
an organization. Additionally, under certain conditions, labor disputes
may be settled by voters at the ballot, with last best offers of each
bargaining party considered and resolved by Ohio’s taxpayers.
To specifically advance the quality of education in Ohio’s classrooms
and reward teachers, S.B. 5 establishes standard state guidelines to
determine educators’ compensation and other terms of employment. While
50 percent of educator evaluations must be based on student performance
as developed by the Ohio Department of Education, local school boards
have the authority to establish objective measures related to quality
of instructional practice, communication and professionalism,
parent/student satisfaction, and other relevant factors.
“These modifications to collective bargaining law are a signal to
potential developers that Ohio government is dedicated to operating
with fewer expenses, less taxes, and a balance budget,” Representative
Buchy said. “The message is, Ohio is a business-friendly state with the
priority of increasing jobs.”
As passed, S.B. 5 is expected to save local governments more than $1
billion while ensuring that public employees can still collectively
bargain under a better system with negotiations, mediation and fairness.
S.B. 5 will now return to the Ohio Senate for a concurrence vote.
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