Protecting Property Rights.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Kelo v New London that a local government can force private property owners to relinquish their property to allow another private entity to develop it. In short, the Court said it is acceptable for local governments to take property for the purpose of getting more tax revenue from it.
Kevin has worked to introduce a package of legislation that will protect property owners from such takings and provide standards for all government entities to use when using eminent domain.
Eliminating E-Check.
After a ten-year effort, Kevin Coughlin and his colleagues in the legislature have voted to eliminate the program. E-Check will end in Northeast Ohio on December 31, 2007.
In the meantime, fewer cars are being tested and the tests are free to motorists.
Defib Units in Schools.
Kevin was instrumental in getting $2.5 million for the Akron General Medical Center to provide defibrillators to over 4,000 school buildings throughout Ohio. In addition to the units, the funds also cover training for five school staff members. These devices have already saved lives in our schools.
Additional Judges.
Summit County is long overdue for additional common pleas judges. The Ohio Supreme Court says that increased caseload requires two. The citizens of our county deserve to know that their system of justice is protecting them. So Kevin has fought for the approval of additional judges and has helped to make it a reality in the Fall of 2006.
Correcting Conflicts of Interest in CBCFs.
Kevin sponsored the legislation that changed the governance of Ohio’s Community Based Corrections Facilities so that judges were not in conflict with judicial canons. In addition, the bill subjects leaders of privately-run CBCFs to the Ohio Ethics Law, eliminates self-dealing, and requires competitive bidding when contracting for goods and services.
Ohio Elections Reform.
The last two presidential elections threw the spotlight on several problems with our elections process. In short, states that make use of modern technology. have clear laws detailing registration, voting, vote counting, and ballot security provisions are less likely to have close elections decided by the courts or by elections officials.
Kevin was the Senate sponsor of House Bill 3 which made numerous changes to our elections process including:
- Requires all voters to verify their identity when voting by providing any of the following: government issued photo ID, or a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and current address.
- If a voter does not have these forms of ID, they will not be turned away. They may provide the last four digits of the Social Security number. If the voter cannot provide that, they can sign a form that states they are unable to produce any form of identification. Under both circumstances, the voter casts a provisional ballot, allowing the Board of Elections to verify identity before counting it.
- While most counties will soon be voting on electronic touch screens, some will utilize optical scan machines. In these counties, voters will cast ballots by using a pencil to fill in a circle. HB 3 clarifies other types of markings that will be counted as a vote, so we don’t have election officials trying to guess the intent of the voter when conducting a hand recount.
- Creates a statewide voter registration database that allows county boards of elections to share information and reduce the risk of double registrations.
- Helps to reduce lines at polling places by requiring one voting machine for every 175 voters.
While some doomsayers predicted that the new security rules would lead to confusion and a huge spike in provisional ballots being cast, the opposite has happened. In the 2006 special election, a smaller percentage of voters cast provisional ballots statewide than in the previous general election. In Summit County just 1.1% of voters ended up casting a provisional ballot.
Stopping Board Consolidation.
As Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services, and Aging Committee, Kevin took the lead in fighting Governor Taft’s plan to consolidate 20 state licensure boards into state agencies. Doing so would have undermined the independent oversight each gives to its profession and reduced consumer and patient protection. Kevin placed an amendment killing the consolidation plan in the state budget correction bill.
Supporting the Region.
Kevin Coughlin has proven a resourceful and strong advocate for Northeast Ohio. He has secured millions of dollars for economic development, arts and cultural facilities and programs, natural resources, historic preservation, tourism, education, and much more in Summit County.
Even the Minority Leader of the Ohio Senate has noted Kevin’s ability to wrangle dollars for Summit County, saying “We’ve been given a lesson by Senator Coughlin on how to provide additional resources for our districts.” (Whether Christmas Tree or Ornament, Legislator Finds Gift for District; Lee Leonard, Columbus Dispatch, February 23, 2004.)
