How they voted: 5-18

5/18/2014

A look at recent legislative actions in Columbus and Washington and how area lawmakers voted.

OHIO HOUSE

H.B. 375: to set a severance tax rate on oil and natural gas drilling at 2.5 percent and to provide for offsets against other taxes.

Sponsor: Rep. Matt Huffman (R., Lima)

Vote: Passed on Wednesday, 55-38.

Area representatives: Teresa Fedor (D., Toledo), did not vote; Mike Sheehy (D., Oregon), no; Michael Ashford (D., Toledo), no; Barbara Sears (R., Monclova Township), yes; Tim Brown (R., Bowling Green), yes; Chris Redfern (D., Catawba Island), no; Rex Damschroder (R., Fremont), yes; Lynn Wachtmann (R., Napoleon), yes; Robert Sprague (R., Findlay), yes; Tony Burkley (R., Payne), yes; Jeff McClain (R., Upper Sandusky), yes.

H.B. 468: to expand types of licenses for selling wrecked or dismantled vehicles.

Sponsors: Rep. Barbara Sears (R., Monclova Township) and Rep. Ross McGregor (R., Springfield).

Vote: Passed on Wednesday, 64-30.

Area representatives: Ms. Fedor, did not vote; Mr. Sheehy, no; Mr. Ashford, no; Ms. Sears, yes; Mr. Brown, yes; Mr. Redfern, no; Mr. Damschroder, yes; Mr. Wachtmann, yes; Mr. Sprague, yes; Mr. Burkley, yes; Mr. McClain, yes.

OHIO SENATE

S.B. 96: to requires one unit of world history in high school social studies curriculum.

Sponsor: Sen. Frank LaRose (R., Fairlawn)

Vote: Passed on Wednesday, 31-0.

Area senators: Sen. Edna Brown (D., Toledo), yes; Sen. Randy Gardner (R., Bowling Green), yes; Sen. Cliff Hite (R., Findlay), yes; Sen. David Burke (R., Marysville), yes.

S.B. 310: to enacts a two-year freeze on the mandate that utilities gradually find 25 percent of their power from renewable and advanced technology souces and reduce electricity consumption by 22 percent by 2025.

Sponsor: Sen. Troy Balderson (R., Zanesville).

Vote: Passed, 21-12, on May 7.

Area senators: Ms. Brown, no; Mr. Gardner, no; Mr. Hite, yes; Mr. Burke, yes

S.B. 150: approving House amendments to bill that, beginning on Sept. 30, 2017, prohibits farming operations of at least 50 noncontiguous acres from applying synthetic fertilizers to land unless it is applied by someone certified by the state.

Sponsor: Sen. Cliff Hite (R., Findlay).

Vote: Passed, 33-0, on May 7.

Area senators: Ms. Brown, yes; Mr. Gardner, yes; Mr. Hite, yes; Mr. Burke, yes.

U.S. HOUSE

H.R. 10: to amend the charter school program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Among other things, the measure would replace the current charter school grant program with a program awarding grants to state entities and, through them, subgrants to charter school developers to open new charter schools and expand and replicate high-quality charter schools.

Sponsor: Rep. John Kline (R., Minn.).

Vote: Passed on May 9, 360-45, with 27 members not voting.

Northwest and southeast Michigan representatives: Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo), yes; Bob Latta (R., Bowling Green), yes; Jim Jordan (R., Urbana, Ohio), yes; Tim Walberg (R., Tipton, Mich.), yes.

H.R. 4438: American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2014, which would amend the Internal Revenue Code to establish a permanent research tax credit.

Sponsor: Rep. Kevin Brady (R., Texas).

Vote: Passed on May 9, 274-131, with 26 members not voting.

Area representatives: Miss Kaptur, no; Mr. Latta, yes; Mr. Jordan, yes; Mr. Walberg, yes.

SOURCES: Blade Columbus Bureau, Library of Congress, and govtrack.us.