Download - Rogers February Newsletter 2013
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Dear Constituents,
I am truly honored and humbled by this privilege to serve as your State Representat
I look forward to listening and learning from you and others over the upcoming mont
There is no doubt many challenges loom ahead as we begin this new General Assemb
but I am excited about the opportunities that are sure to present themselves.
It is important that we remain mindful of the variety of critical issues facing our state
Our local governments must have the necessary resources to provide effective and
efficient services while keeping our communities safe and providing great surroundin
in which to live and work. We must focus on ways of strengthening our schools to
ensure that our teachers have the assets they need to help our children succeed. Wealso need to support the business community and promote initiatives for job creation
that prioritize small businesses. After all, it is the small business owner who is at the
heart of economic growth in our state. These issues are all of vital importance and ar
but a few on the horizon.
While successfully addressing these matters may not always be easy, and undoubted
will at times involve disagreement, a genuine bi-partisan effort with our constituents
interests at heart is the approach I intend to take in representing your interests and
helping to move Ohio forward.
As Ohios General Assembly addresses the challenges that face all of us, I hope to he
from you as my role is to represent all of my constituents. We all want to build a bet
community to enjoy a brighter future and create a stronger Ohio. Ohios citizens hav
over the years, shown themselves to be a resilient group. We have always found way
to persevere through hard work and our commitment to service. Most of all, we have
done so with a willingness to compromise. The sharing of ideas is often the first step
achieving practical, common-sense solutions.
Please always feel free to contact our office by phone (614) 466-7251 or toll free 1-8
282-0253. You may also reach us by email at [email protected]
Respectfully,
John M. Rogers
State Representative
Ohios 60th House District
CONTACT
olumbus Office0th District7 South High Street0th Floorolumbus, Ohio 43215
hone: (614) 466-7251
oll-free: (800) 282-0253ax: (614) 719-3962
Or E-mail At:[email protected]
Scan to check outour blog
ioHouseDems Ohiohouse.gov
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February 2013 State Rep. John M. Rogers Pag
Contacting Representative John M. Rogers
Via Electronic Mail (E-Mail)
To contact the office via e-mail,
please use the following address:[email protected]
Via Postal Mail(Columbus Office)
Hon. John RogersState Representative, 60th Distric
Ohio House of Representatives
77 South High Street, 10th FloorColumbus, OH 43215
You have several options if you would like to contact Representative Rogers. We welcome your thoughts andsuggestions and will do everything we can to help you. We also welcome invitations to speak to your group o
organization.
Via Telephone (Columbus Office)Direct Phone: (614) 466-7251
Toll-Free Messaging System:(800) 282-0253
Important State Contact InformationOhio House of Representativeswww.house.state.oh.us
Legislative Information 800-282-0253
Insurance, Department ofhttp://ohioinsurance.gov/
Consumer Hotline 800-686-1526
Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program
800-686-1578
Jobs and Family Services, Department ofhttp://jfs.ohio.gov/Veteran Services Division 800-253-4060
Unemployment Compensation Hotline 877-644-6562
Motor Vehicles, Bureau of
http://www.bmv.ohio.gov/
General Information 800-589-TAGS
Public Safety, Department of
http://publicsafety.ohio.gov/Highway Patrol 877-7-PATROLState Highway Patrol DUI Hotline 800-GRAB-DUI
Public Utilities Commission of Ohiohttp://www.puco.ohio.gov/General Information 800-686-PUCO
Taxation, Department of
http://tax.ohio.gov/Form Requests 800-282-1782
Individual Taxpayer Assistance 800-282-1780
Aging, Department ofhttp://aging.ohio.gov/home/
Golden Buckeye Card 866-301-6446Ombudsman/Elder Rights Unit 800-282-1206
Save these numbers for
future reference!
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July 2012February 2013 State Rep. John M. Rogers Pag
Watching The MoneyAn overview of the State Controlling Board and the oversight of government spending
Government spending is perhaps one of the mostdominant subjects in recent American political dis-
course. Candidates, as well as officeholders, hotly de-bate the appropriate levels of government spending,but soon after rhetoric subsides the real work of gov-
ernment expenditures begin.
Although state appropriations, or government expendi-
tures, are proposedthrough legislation, the
act of spending money
must face further scruti-ny in Ohio. Its not as
easy as writing a check.The legislature maintains
a degree of oversight onalmost all appropriations
through a committee-style process called the
State Controlling Board.
The board is currentlycomprised of four Re-
publican members of theGeneral Assembly and
two Democrats. With themost expensive state bi-ennial budget in history being championed by Republi-cans this session (about $55 billion), there is no doubt
Controlling Board members have their work cut out for
them.
History and Context
The Controlling Board was first created in the General
Appropriations Act of 1917. Until 1969, the Board con-sisted of the governor, the attorney general, the audi-
tor and the chairpersons of the Ohio House and SenateFinance Committees.
In 1969, the composition of the Board was altered al-most to its present form with seven members. The
governor was referenced as the chairman, although thelaw allowed the Director of Finance or an employee of
the Department of Finance appointed by the governorto preside over the Board. The Department of Finance
was the predecessor to the current Office of Budget
and Management. In addition, the two finance commit-tee chairpersons as well as one majority and one mi-nority member from each legislative chamber appoint-
ed by the leader of each chamber made up the membership of the Board.
In 1975, the 111th General Assembly established tBoard in statute. It was at this time that the Direct
Finance or his or her designee was specified as Pre
dent of the Board.
Authority andResponsibility
Over its history, the Boahas been viewed as a co
venient way to exercise islative oversight of exetive actions. Thus the po
ers of the Board have beexpanded into areas beythose contained in the
Board's original authoriz
tion. Recent history demstrates that the Board's thority often is expande
a reaction to the legisla-ture's perceptions of inapropriate behavior on th
part of the executive branch.
The Controlling Board authority was made to includleases above a certain threshold dollar value made
state government. This change was made in reactiothe scandal at the time surrounding perceived politfavoritism in the awarding of telecommunication eq
ment lease/purchases.
The Board is required by Section 127.13 of the Rev
Code to meet at least once a month, and generallymeetings are held every other Monday throughout year. The schedule of meeting dates is published eaOctober for the next calendar year and is available
from the Controlling Board Office. The President ma
schedule emergency meetings to address issues neing immediate attention.
You can find out the most up to date information o
Controlling Board activity by visiting:
https://ecb.ohio.gov
https://ecb.ohio.gov/https://ecb.ohio.gov/https://ecb.ohio.gov/ -
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February 2013 State Rep. John M. Rogers PagHouse Democrats Lead Effort to Establish Veterans Caucu
Bipartisan, bicameral body to focus on issues important to those with military service
The brave men
and women who
fight for our na-
tion in the Armed
Services deserve
recognition for
their sacrifices as
well as policies to
address the
unique challengesthey and their
families face. En-
suring our cur-
rent and former servicemen and women receive
the help and support they deserve is a top priori-
ty of the Ohio House Democrats.
Recently, State Rep. Connie Pillich, a Democrat
from the Cincinnati area, invited all members of
the Ohio legislature to join her in furthering caus-es that are of importance to veterans. The mis-
sion of this bipartisan caucus is to look at the im-
pact of recent and current issues affecting veter-
ans, active duty, guard, and reserve military and
their families. The caucus is open to veterans and
nonveterans within the Ohio General Assembly.
The first meeting of the group took place on Jan-
uary 23rd in Columbus. The meeting included
some formalities such as the election of officersand organizational planning, but it also included
special guests, leaders from Ohios Operation Mili-
tary Kids.
It is the hope of some in the caucus that the
group will be better able to limit competing agen-
das and differing views on how best to address
laws relevant to those with military service. The
legislation and advocacy that may come from the
body could complement the important work of
the Military and Veterans Affairs standing com-
mittee in the Ohio House.
The invitation to join the Veterans Caucus follows
a different Democrat-lead proposal to soon intro-
duce legislation that would expand unemploy-
ment provisions for spouses of active militarypersonnel who must leave work due to their
spouse being transferred.
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ebruary 2013 State Rep. John M. Rogers Pa
For some Ohio families, finding programs to give their
children a healthy start can be a challenge. Luckily, theOhio Department of Health offers a program that gives
nfants and toddlers achance at success in the
early stages of their lives.
Help Me Grow is adminis-tered in all 88 counties of
the state. With the use ofstate and federal funds,
Help Me Grow gives all chil-dren up to 3 years old ac-cess to vital services forthem and their families. Theprogram also encourages
prenatal and well-baby careand provides programs forchildren with disabilities.
Services offered through Help Me Grow provide childrenwith a better chance at starting school with the two
most important tools: a healthy body and a sharp mind.
Local Help Me Grow programs provide home visits that:
Identify children with, or who are at risk for, develop-
mental delays or disabilities
Offer parents up-to-date information during a newborn
visit from a registered nurse on child health, develop-
ment, safety and community resources; during the vis-t, a registered nurse conducts a physical assessment ofthe newborn and mother
Give screenings for health, hearing, vision and develop-ment
Present parents with information about their childs so-cial and emotional development that lays the founda-
tion for later school success
Assure that parents have information on the importanceof early childhood immunizations and routine pediatric
health care
In years past, the state has seen more than 16,000 ba-
bies born to mothers who did not receive prenatal careuntil after their first trimester. At one point within the
ast decade, one in five 2-year-old children had not
completed immunizations for measles, mumps and oth-
er life-threatening diseases. With assistance from th
Help Me Grow program, however, more than 33,000infants and toddlers have been able to receive home
visits that included develomental and health service
a single year.
Studies show children moeligible for the Help Me G
program come from familup to 185 percent of the f
eral poverty level, from pents who have less than aninth-grade education orfrom parents who are uneployed. There are no inco
requirements for the pro-gram. The services continously protect children from
disease and infection and work toward promoting
healthy living practices for them, despite what their ing situation may be.
To find the Help Me Grow program available in your
county, please call the Bureau of Early InterventServices at (614) 644-8389.
Help Me Grow Program Offers Healthy OptionsPrograms available to give children and families the best start possible
Services At A Glance
Prenatal Visits: Education for expectant parentsmaterials about maternal and child health, develo
ment and safety; referrals to community resource
Newborn Home Visits: Physical assessment ofbaby and mother; newborn and postpartum care
Service Coordination: Enrollment in multiple sevices; transition to other programs
Family Support Services: Parent mentoring; paent group activities; support for transition fromhospital to home
Specialized Services: Nutrition; physical therapy
social work services; psychological services; vision
services; speech-language therapy
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ebruary 2013 State Rep. John M. Rogers Pag
ax season still tends to conjure visions of mounds ofaperwork and long nights with a pen and a calculator.
ut it doesnt have to be that way.
ore and more Ohioans are turn-g to Ohio I-File, a free serviceat allows almost any taxpayer to
e a return online.
fact, if you still file the old-shioned way by mailing a re-
rn to Columbus you are now in
e minority. The Ohio DepartmentTaxations Web site shows that
ow, more than half of Ohios income tax returns areed electronically.
There are two big advantages to trying Ohio I-File:
It speeds up tax refunds. Ifare due a refund and choose t
direct deposit option, the monwill be in your bank account inseven to ten days.
It saves taxpayer dollars. Icosts about three times as muto process a paper return as it
does to process an electronic r
turn.
For more information on Ohio File or any other question about filing your state inco
tax return, visit The Ohio Department of Taxation
Web site at tax.ohio.gov or call (800) 282-1780.
Ohio I-File Helps Ease Tax Return HasslesDigital filing will speed refund
Its hard to believe, but its true.Each year, more than $100 mil-
lion that rightfully belongs in thepockets of hardworking Ohiofamilies ends up bottled up in
Washington.
The problem: Too many low-and moderate-income Ohioansare inadvertently leaving money
on the table by not claiming the
Earned Income Tax Credit as partof their federal tax return.
he federal EITC is a refundable tax credit designed toward low-income wage earners by creating an incen-
ve to work. It entitles those who work for lower wagesreceive a larger tax refund.
igibility is based on income and the size of a family for
e credits, which can boost a tax refund up to $5,891.he credit is available to individuals who earned lessan $13,980 last year and to couples (with at least two
hildren) who earned up to $41,952.
Unfortunately, as many as 15 percent of Ohioans fai
claim the credit, which experts consider one of Amer
most effective anti-poverty programs. That means lemoney that could be in Ohio helping to fuel our econand it means families are missing out on a tool that
could help them stretch their resources farther.
If you or someone you know is missing out on this vable credit contact the Internal Revenue Service
(800) 829-1040.
Are You Missing Out on Money that Belongs to You?You may be eligible for the federal EITC refundable tax credit