Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Kasich V Legislature: 2015 Preview

ohiocitizen.org

2015 is shaping up to be a year of conflict between Ohio Governor John Kasich and his fellow Republicans who control the state legislature.

Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler previews what’s ahead.

2015 is a budget year, and that potentially means battles over priorities. And Gov. John Kasich knows it. 

“As executive, I’ve got to tell you, I don’t care if I have to break some china. But that’s not the best way to do things. The best way to do things is to get cooperation out of the people you work with.”

Some might wonder why Kasich would even worry about conflict with the legislature – his fellow Republicans dominate Democrats in the Senate 2-1, and Republicans will have a record 65 member majority in the House. But while Republican state lawmakers have agreed with Kasich on income and small business tax cuts, they’ve struggled over how to fund them, including his proposed hikes in taxes on cigarettes and oil and natural gas drillers. He’s promised to bring those up again… 
“We gotta say that some taxes, you know…I’ll give you a perfect example. Why should taxes on tobacco not be higher to pay for a reduction in the income tax?” 
“I have not yet begun to fight, but we can’t let these companies take our valuable stuff out of the state and not pay for it.”

Senate President Keith Faber shared a stage with Kasich at a Chamber of Commerce event before the holidays, and suggested to the business leaders that the tax hike proposals will be back, and might get further this time. 
“Give us your ideas. Because we’re going to go. It’s better if we go with your help and advice and guidance than if we go down that route and not know where the unintended consequences are.” 

And it’s unclear is what might happen with Kasich’s other major initiative – Medicaid expansion. There was a wide and deep split among Republicans on that issue – so much so that it wasn’t brought to the legislature for a vote. After some last-minute moves by leadership to remove opponents of Medicaid expansion, Kasich took it to the six lawmakers on the Controlling Board. One of those Controlling Board was Rep. Cliff Rosenberger of southwest Ohio – who is now the House Speaker elect. After he was chosen in November, Rosenberger didn’t directly address Medicaid expansion, but stayed vague. 
“Our caucus is going to be strong. We’re going to continue doing the right things to put Ohio in the right direction make sure the quality of life is strong and make sure our number one task as we go forward is to make sure we continue to keep our citizens employed moving forward. And we’re gonna do it together.”

This is one area where Democrats feel they can have an impact. That same afternoon, Fred Strahorn of Dayton was elected House Minority Leader, and reminded reporters that Democrats have been supportive of Kasich on Medicaid expansion. 
“I don’t want to speak for Speaker-elect Rosenberger. It’s up to him.  It’s an opportunity and it’s something that we stand, I believe, ready to make happen.”

Senate President Faber had a little more detail in remarks he made at a conference two days after the election. 
“Medicaid expansion, my guess, probably will not be something that remains part of the budget. It probably will be something that we’ll have debate and discussion outside the budget, but it may not remain part of the budget, although I’m open to that discussion.”

But Kasich was firm in his resolve at an event with public health and safety net advocates working on infant mortality on December 4. 
“I’m serious, folks. If that thing is at risk, we’re going to be marching. We’re going to march, and you’re going to show up, because we gotta get this done.”

Kasich has also said he wants changes in regulations on charter schools. Faber has said he wants to include public schools in the debate over quality education. Rosenberger has been virtually silent since his election. What’s also fuzzy for the future is Kasich’s plans to run for president, and if they exist, what impact they might have on his budget and on legislation that may come out of an increasingly conservative legislature.

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.
The Statehouse News Bureau was founded in 1980 to provide educational, comprehensive coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations. To this day, the Bureau remains the only broadcast outlet dedicated to in-depth coverage of state government news and topics of statewide interest. The Bureau is funded througheTech Ohio, and is managed by ideastream. The reporters at the Bureau follow the concerns of the citizens and voters of Ohio, as well as the actions of the Governor, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other elected officials. We strive to cover statehouse news, government issues, Ohio politics, and concerns of business, culture and the arts with balance and fairness, and work to present diverse voices and points of view from the Statehouse and throughout Ohio. The three award-winning journalists at the bureau have more than 60 combined years of radio and television experience. They can be heard on National Public Radio and are regular contributors to Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace. Every weekday, the Statehouse News Bureau produces in-depth news reports forOhio's public radio stations. Those stories are also available on this website, either on the front page or in our archives. Weekly, the Statehouse News Bureau produces a television show from our studios in the Statehouse. The State of Ohio is an unique blend of news, interviews, talk and analysis, and is broadcast on Ohio's public television stations. The Statehouse News Bureau also produces special programming throughout the year, including the Governor's annual State of the State address to the Ohio General Assembly and a five-part year-end review.
Related Content