The final week of action for the Ohio Senate was active indeed. The session ended after one of the latest nights – or earliest mornings – in a long while, with a final vote on a resolution making changes in the redistricting process coming just after 4am.
While that deal was historic, and there were other big bills that passed, such as a two-year freeze on the green energy standards that were put in place a few years ago and a budget update bill that included personal and small business tax cuts as well as breaks for low-income taxpayers. But there were other measures that didn’t pass – possibly most notably the so-called Heartbeat Bill, an increase in the severance tax on oil and natural gas drillers and Gov. Kasich’s proposal to hike the tax on cigarettes by 60 cents.
Looking back and looking forward this week are the leaders of the Ohio Senate. President Keith Faber is a Republican from Celina, and is in his second and last term in the Senate. Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni is a Democrat from Youngstown and was just re-elected to his second full term in the Senate after running unopposed.