By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Wood County’s state legislators fielded questions about marijuana, roundabouts and windfarms Friday morning from local residents.
State Sen. Randy Gardner and State Rep. Tim Brown, both R-Bowling Green, presented a legislative update to members of the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce. The talk covered a wide range of topics on health, energy and transportation.
Gardner reminded those present that he and Brown value direct contact from their constituents and make an effort to be “very accessible” to citizens. Brown said it’s good for the public to be aware of state legislative efforts. “The more sunshine we have on these deliberations the better it is for all of us,” he said.
Following are some of the issues discussed.
Windfarms
Brown talked about a wind energy bill that currently calls for setback requirements that make wind farms “next to impossible.” Under the current language in the bill, the majority of the wind turbines at Ohio’s largest windfarm would not be allowed.
“Their right to have them has been stripped away,” Brown said, adding that he is working to change that.
Some businesses are reluctant to locate in Ohio because the state doesn’t do enough to promote clean energy, he added.
“We have businesses who want to be in our state and say, ‘No,’” such as Amazon, Brown said. “They demand renewable energy.”
Gardner said Ohio needs to look at making use of renewable and natural resource energy. “I think there’s an ‘all of the above’ policy,’” he said.
Orange barrels
Ohioans should not expect relief from road construction anytime soon, Brown said. “I hear more about this from people than anything else.”
The state has increased the annual funding to fix Ohio roads and bridges from $150 million to $175 million during the next five years, then up to $200 million after that.
“The orange barrels aren’t going to go away,” he said.
The goal with projects, such as the Interstate 75 widening here in Wood County, is to grow the economy and attract businesses.
The state is also looking at more roundabouts as a way to keep traffic moving and reduce serious accidents.
“It takes me a lot of getting used to,” Gardner said about roundabouts, but added that statistics show they are much safer for motorists.
Medical marijuana
The bill allowing medical marijuana in Ohio passed the House this week and is now in the hands of the Senate. Brown explained the bill does not allow people to grow or smoke marijuana. However, it will allow people to use it if they have medical conditions that can be helped with marijuana.
“There are true medical needs for marijuana,” he said, noting testimony from a parent whose child had as many as 300 seizures a day but now has about five a day.
One person in the audience Friday said her daughter currently goes to Michigan to get medical marijuana to treat her ovarian cancer. Brown said that is presently illegal, but this bill would change that.
Gardner said the Senate would likely vote on the bill in the next week or two. Marijuana supporters believe the bill is too restrictive, and are working on putting an issue on the November ballot which would legalize medical marijuana in the state’s Constitution.
“To put something in the Constitution would be irresponsible,” Gardner said.
Brown agreed, saying the ballot issue would allow smoking and growing of marijuana, and would not permit the legislature to regulate at all.
Brown also mentioned that states which have legalized medical marijuana have seen a 25 percent decrease in opiate fatalities. He cited figures saying that 20,000 people die a year from opiate overdoses in the U.S.
“It’s any one of us, prescribed these,” Brown said of opiates. “It’s the person who falls on the sidewalk. It’s the farmer hurt in the field.”
Unlike opiates, marijuana is not addictive for most people, and has not been shown to be a gateway to heroin.
Coverage for medical treatments and medicines
Gardner talked about legislation that would require a faster processing of prior authorization for medical procedures or prescriptions. “So medical treatments can begin more promptly,” he said.
Brown said the “med sync” bill, which would allow citizens to synchronize the timing of their prescriptions, is making progress.
He also talked about a prescription pricing bill that would prevent drug companies from misrepresenting how much prescriptions cost and how much they are actually paying pharmacies. Several small pharmacies are currently suffering under the present process used, Brown said.
Capital funding for Wood County projects
Two local benefactors of big money in the latest Capital Bill were the Cocoon and WBGU-TV. Gardner explained the $800,000 for the Cocoon will help the agency double its capacity to serve domestic violence victims.
The $500,000 for WBGU-TV will help enhance the relationship between the public television station and BGSU students. “There’s no question we want to encourage that partnership,” he said.
Gardner said he has strong feelings about WBGU-TV because his father served on the public station’s board in the 1960s. He explained that he isn’t opposed to some changes, as long as the programming is still accessible to citizens and there are improved opportunities for BGSU students.
The final decision on WBGU-TV rests in the hands of the BGSU Board of Trustees, Gardner added.
Lowering taxes
Brown said Ohio income taxes are the lowest they have been since 1982, and renewed efforts are being made to help new small businesses through tax cuts.
He added that while the state is strengthening the safety net for those unable to work, it is getting tougher on people who just don’t work. “We’re kind of wagging the finger in those people’s faces and saying, ‘No.”
Snowy sidewalks
At the request of a Perrysburg Township resident, Brown is working on a snow removal bill for townships. “This person noticed kids walking in the streets to the school bus,” because sidewalks were not shoveled,” he said.
Unlike municipalities, townships do not have the authority to require residents to shovel sidewalks. The new legislation allows townships to create snow removal policies.
“The goal is to get sidewalks cleaned,” not collect fines, Brown said.
Constituent concerns
Bowling Green pediatrician Dr. Michael Lemon expressed concerns about new staffing ratio regulations and midwife-obstetrician restrictions that could adversely affect small hospitals.
Pemberville Mayor Gordon Bowman asked for information on liquor licenses and railroad crossing repairs.
