rogers february newsletter 2013

7/29/2019 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

rogers february newsletter 2013

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