Ohio bargaining measure as a 2012 litmus
But in two weeks, the Ohio ballot will give Buckeye State voters the chance to change course yet again, at least in one 2012 battleground.
A ballot measure called Issue 2 will allow voters to uphold or repeal law, Senate Bill 5, enacted last spring by the Republican-controlled Legislature and GOP Gov. John Kasich that limits the ability of public employee unions to collectively bargain.
The law also requires performance-based pay for most public employees, limits accrual of vacation time and requires public employees to pay 15 percent of the cost of their health care benefits.
First Read: Looking to OhioUnlike Wisconsin, where Republican .Gov Scott Walker’s similar effort to curb union power prompted recall efforts against GOP lawmakers who supported him, in Ohio the question is being put directly to the people.
A new Quinnipiac Poll released Tuesday showed that 57 percent of Ohio voters oppose Issue 2, while 32 percent favor it.If Issue 2 is defeated, the Senate Bill 5 will be repealed.
Looking to battle for Ohio's 18 electoral votes Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney on Tuesday will visit the Ohio Republican Party's phone bank center in Terrace Park, a Cincinnati suburb, but is unlikely to comment on Issue 2, which has been dominating the political agenda in the weeks leading up to Election Day. After being hounded by reporters on his way out of an Ohio GOP event, he stopped and answered questions on Issues 2 and 3. "Great to be here in Ohio today. I'm not speaking about the particular ballot issues," he said. "Those are up to the people of Ohio, but I certainly support the effort of the governor to rein in the scale of government." "I'm not terribly familiar with the two ballot initiatives, but I'm certainly supportive of the Republican Party's efforts here, and happy to have the endorsement of the congressman." Kasich pledged during the 2010 campaign that he’d eliminate the state budget deficit without raising taxes. “But they never discussed the specifics of how he was going to do that,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
State Of Wisconsin Individual Health Insurance - News
Additionally, starting this year under the same law that took away their collective bargaining rights they were required to pay more for their health insurance and pension costs. Marty Beil, executive director of the 23000-member Wisconsin State
Wisconsin officials say people will not be cut from state health insurance plans unless they have access to other options under their proposal to balance the program's budget by cutting $554.4 million in spending. But about 215000 children and adults
Wisconsin officials say people will not be cut from state health insurance plans unless they have access to other options under their proposal to balance the program's budget by cutting $554.4 million in spending. But about 215000 children and adults
“The parts of SB 5 that are popular are (state employees) contributing to the health care and retirement benefits. The governor's argument that, 'people in the private sector have to do this, too,' has been a winning argument,” said Brown.
Federal health care reform, currently being challenged in the courts, requires states by 2014 to create an exchange, or online clearinghouse where individuals and small businesses can compare and enroll in health plans. The federal government will
Wisconsin fights health care reform law : Access Medical Books
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has not decided whether the state will join the lawsuit filed in Florida by 20 other states, the National Federation of Independent Business and two uninsured individuals, or file its own lawsuit.
“That work is under way,” Van Hollen said. “I have been in discussions not only with my staff but also with staff of both the Florida AG’s office and the Virginia AG’s office.”
Joining a lawsuit filed by the Virginia attorney general would be more difficult because that case includes legal issues surrounding a state law.
Van Hollen expects to make a decision in the next month or so.
The key issue in the legal challenges is whether the federal government can require people to buy health insurance or fine them for failing to do so. That requirement is considered essential if health insurers must cover people with pre-existing health problems.
Wisconsin joining the legal challenges to the law would fulfill a campaign promise by Walker while making the state a participant in a historic case almost certain to be settled by the Supreme Court.
“It is the biggest ongoing constitutional law dispute in the country, certainly the one with the most far-reaching effect,” said Andrew Coan, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
More than 20 separate challenges to the law, including lawsuits by conservative groups and individuals, have been filed in federal courts throughout the country. And most legal experts agree that both sides raise valid questions.
“This case could be decided either way without overturning any existing Supreme Court precedents,” Coan said.
So far, federal judges have dismissed two of the lawsuits – one filed in Virginia by Liberty University, founded by Jerry Farwell, and the other filed in Michigan by the Thomas More Law Center, a public interest law firm that focuses on defending the religious freedom of Christians, family values and other issues.