The Ohio Chamber
Board of Directors had a very full agenda for their August 14th board
meeting. Supreme Court candidates Justice Evelyn Stratton and Lt. Gov.
Maureen O’Connor spoke to the board about each of their respective
races. Both candidates have been endorsed by the Ohio Chamber’s
Political Action Committee (OCCPaC).
Ohio Chamber staff members unveiled their latest informational project,
ohiobusinessvotes.org. The purpose of ohiobuinessvotes.org is to educate
Ohio business people about the economic effects of legislative and judicial
actions and to prepare them to participate in the political process
in an informed manner. The site provides all of the tools business people
need to register to vote, find out how candidates stand on business
issues, and track the performance of Ohio elected officials.
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Senator and former Ohio Governor
George Voinovich |
Updating
the board on federal issues was U.S. Senator and former Ohio Governor
George Voinovich. Voinovich praised of the Ohio Chamber’s new Web
site, ohiobusinessvotes.org, and encouraged all businesses to get involved
in educating their employees about the importance of voting on November
5th.
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Ohiobusinessvotes.org
is a collaborative project sponsored by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce,
the Greater Akron Chamber, the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce,
the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce and the Toledo Area Chamber
of Commerce.
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Former
Speaker of the House
JoAnn Davidson |
Former Speaker of the House JoAnn Davidson spoke on behalf of Governor
Taft regarding the defeat of the Ohio Drug Treatment Initiative. The
Ohio Drug Treatment Initiative will most likely be on the statewide
ballot this fall as state Issue One. The proposed amendment calls for
a radical change to the Ohio Constitution and makes fundamental changes
in the state’s laws regarding illegal drugs.
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The
Governor asked for the Ohio Chamber’s backing to oppose this issue.
The Ohio Chamber Board of Directors voted unanimously to oppose this
issue stating the following reasons:
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1.
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The
Ohio Constitution is not the appropriate place to address this issue;
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2.
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This
amendment would have negative implications for Ohio’s budget
by mandating expenditures and hampering budgeting discretion of
the governor and the legislature;
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3.
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While
there may be merit in examining methods to enhance treatment and
rehabilitation for drug offenders, the Board has serious concerns
that this proposed amendment to Ohio’s Constitution sends a
dangerous message to the future workforce.
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