All meetings will take place on Thursday, May 8, 2014
9:00 a.m.
Organization and Administration Committee – Statehouse Room 116. Updates on Commission rules and Commission staff.
Liaisons with Public Offices Committee and Public Education and Information Standing Committee – Statehouse Room 114
10:15 a.m.
Judicial Branch and the Administration of Justice Committee – Statehouse Room 311
Finance, Taxation & Economic Development Committee – Statehouse Room 115, Topic = Ohio Sinking Fund Commission. Presentation by Seth Metcalf, Deputy Treasurer.
1:30 pm
Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission – WILL NOT MEET
1:30 p.m – Note the time change
Constitutional Revisions & Updating Committee – Statehouse Room 115, To discuss Judicial Selection and Election
Bill of Rights & Voting Committee – Statehouse Room 311
Click here to read more
Should Ohio remove language in its Constitution’s language requiring a “thorough and efficient” public school system? See Ohio Constitution, Article VI, Section 2. At its recent meeting, the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission’s Committee on Education, Public Institutions & Miscellaneous and Local Government debated this question. Proponents want to eliminate the “thorough and efficient” language because it provides an “in” for Ohio courts to evaluate public school operating and funding – matters proponents feel should be left to the legislature. They point to DeRolph v. State, which found Ohio’s school funding scheme unconstitutional, as an example of improper “judicial legislation”.
Columbus Dispatch Article
Intelligencer Article
The Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission selected Steven C. Hollon as executive director. Mr. Hollon has many years in Ohio’s court system, including 15 years as the Administrative Director at the Ohio Supreme Court.
See announcement on the OCMC website.
The following meetings will take place on Thursday, April 10, 2014:
(The Chairman respectfully requests all testifying parties submit an electronic copy of written testimony to lizz.lewis@ohiohouse.gov by Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. OR bring 25 copies to committee on Thursday.)
9:00 am
Judicial Branch and the Administration of Justice — Statehouse Room 311
Finance, Taxation & Economic Development Committee — Statehouse Room 115
Education, Public Institutions, & Miscellaneous and Local Government — Statehouse Room 114 . Discussion on past testimony and proposals made to the committee regarding Article VI (Education)
12:20 pm
Legislative Branch and Executive Branch Committee — Statehouse Room 017 -The Committee will meet to discuss Article II and Election and Term of State Legislators. A presentation will be made by John Green of the Bliss Institute.
Constitutional Revisions & Updating Committee — Statehouse Room 018
Bill of Rights & Voting — Statehouse Room 311 . Topics:
- Article I, Section 2: Right to Alter, Reform, or Abolish Government, and Repeal Special Privileges
- Article I, Section 6: Slavery and Involuntary Servitude
- Article I, Section 13: Quartering Troops
- Article I, Section 17: Hereditary Privileges
- Article I, Section 20: Powers Reserved to the People
- Article V, Section 8: Term Limits for U.S. Senators and Representatives
The committee welcomes testimony by interested parties on any of the provisions listed above
3:00 p.m.
Click here to read more
An Executive Director Hiring Subcommittee meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 10:30 a.m. , Statehouse Room 114, Columbus, Ohio. The subcommittee will meet to discuss the Executive Director position and applicants. Possible vote on the recommendation for Executive Director
All other meetings are on Thursday, March 13, 2014 in Columbus, Ohio:
9 a.m.
Coordinating Committee, Statehouse Room 115
Liaisons with Public Offices Committee AND Public Education and Information Standing Committee , Statehouse Room 114
Organization and Administration Committee, Statehouse Room 116
- Executive Director Recommendation (Pending referral from the Subcommittee on Executive Director Hiring) and possible vote
- Discussion on a possible update to the hiring process for the other Commission Staff
- Discussion on the updates to the Commission rules
10:15 a.m.
Judicial Branch and the Administration of Justice, Statehouse Room 311
Click here to read more
Committee: Organization and Administration Committee Subcommittee on Executive Director Hiring
Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Time: 3:00pm
Room: Room 1576, Vern Riffe Center, 77 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215
The subcommittee will meet to discuss the Executive Director position and applicants.
**Possible Vote on the recommendation for Executive Director
(Note that the writer of this blog is not affiliated with the Commission. If you have questions about the meeting, please see the Commission’s web site – http://www.ocmc.ohio.gov/ocmc/home)
The following meetings will take place on Thursday, February 13, 2014:
9:00am
Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission – Statehouse Room 313
- Presentation by Dr. John Dinan, Professor of Political Science at Wake Forest University discussing:
- the nature and role of state constitutions
- comparison of the function of state and federal constitutions
- the historic debate over the including of policy amendments in state constitutions
- the issues that other states are addressing as they amend and revise their constitutions
- the range of approaches of other states to such common issues as the constitutional amendment/revision process, redistricting, the legislature, the judiciary, and rights-related provisions
Finance, Taxation & Economic Development Committee; Education, Public Institutions, & Miscellaneous and Local Government; Judicial Branch and the Administration of Justice –The Committees will be participating in the full Commission meeting scheduled at 9am to listen to the presentation given by Dr. John Dinan
12:20 pm
Bill of Rights & Voting – Presentation by Dr. John Dinan, Professor of Political Science from Wake Forest University – Statehouse Room 311
Constitutional Revisions & Updating Committee – Statehouse Room 115
Legislative Branch and Executive Branch Committee – Statehouse Room 114
3:00 p.m.
Coordinating Committee- Statehouse Room 115
Organization and Administration Committee – Statehouse Room 116
Liaisons with Public Offices Committee, Public Education and Information Standing Committee – Statehouse Room 114
(Note that the writer of this blog is not affiliated with the Commission. If you have questions about the meeting, please see the Commission’s web site – http://www.ocmc.ohio.gov/ocmc/home)
ANNOUNCEMENT OF COMMISSION MEETING
Commission: Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission
Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Time: 11:30am
Room: Statehouse Room 114
The Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission will hold an organizational meeting to select Co-Chairs and appoint the public members of the Commission
(Note that the writer of this blog is not affiliated with the Commission. If you have questions about the meeting, please see the Commission’s web site – http://www.ocmc.ohio.gov/ocmc/home)
Per the Akron Beacon Journal:
The Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission’s Legislative & Executive Branch Committee agreed that a seven-member board should draw new legislative and congressional districts, beginning after the 2020 census. A supermajority, including at least one member of the minority party, would be needed to pass a plan.
Akron Beacon Journal article
Ohio Supreme Court Justice William O’Neill testified before the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission concerning judicial election reform. He agrees with some of Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor’s ideas (see her web site http://ohiocourts2013.org/), such as holding judicial elections in odd numbered years, because in presidential/ gubernatorial election years judicial races may not garner as much voter attention. Justice O’Neill suggests publicly finance judicial campaigns by imposing a $10 filing fee on court cases.
See Court News Ohio article.
