Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

"The conference report on House Bill (HB) 64, the state’s two year main operating budget bill, was adopted on a 4-2 party-line vote at about 2:30a.m. this morning.   The Senate is expected to approve the report later today and the House will vote tomorrow . Rep. Ryan Smith (R-Bidwell), Sen. Scott Oelslager (R-N. Canton), Sen. Bill Coley (R-Liberty Township) and Rep. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton) voted for the report.   Sen. Mike Skindell (D-Lakewood) and Rep. Denise Driehaus (D-Cincinnati) voted against the report. PLF – The Conference Committee kept the language increasing the PLF percentage to 1.7% of the total General Revenue Fund (GRF).   This is a huge success because anything can happen in Conference Committee.   However, they chose not to include a provision guaranteeing us the actual dollar amounts estimated in the budget documents. Tax Package – The Conference Committee made a few changes as they worked out the differences between the Ho...

From Ohio Library Council: "OLC to Present PLF Testimony Before Senate Finance Subcommittee    The OLC will present testimony on the state budget and in support of the Public Library Fund on Tues., May 12, before the Senate Finance Committee's Higher Education Subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Randy Gardner, (R-Bowling Green). The subcommittee hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the South Hearing Room. Library directors are welcome to be in the audience for the hearing.   Kim Fender, Director, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and Chair of the OLC's Government Relations Committee, will be testifying on behalf of OLC.   Also, Patrick Losinski, CEO, Columbus Metropolitan Library, will speak specifically to the Tangible Personal Property (TPP) Phase-Out Proposal.    Tuesday's hearing is "Invited Testimony" only. Other groups testifying that day include the State Library of Ohio, Ohioana Library, Ohio History Con...

From Michelle Francis, Ohio Library Council:    "Budget Update – Yesterday the Ohio Senate began informal hearings on HB 64, the biennial budget bill, and later today the Ohio House will officially pass their version of the bill. As the Senate began their proceedings yesterday, they indicated that they would start with FY 2015 as a baseline and wouldn’t necessarily start with the House’s version of the budget bill. We need to let Senators know that we need to keep the House language changing the PLF percentage to 1.7% of the total General Revenue Fund (GRF). This will be our primary focus on Legislative Day and our advocacy efforts over the next 8 weeks. This is extremely important and we will need you to make contacts in the Senate – we will have to fight to keep this provision! PLF Change – The House’s version of HB 64 that will be debated this afternoon on the House floor still includes our provision changing the PLF percentage from 1.66% to 1.7%. Fol...

...sorta... more soon...? Until then, an update on the PLF, from Michelle Francis at Ohio Library Council: "RE: PLF CHANGES IN STATE BUDGET BILL Yesterday, the House Finance Committee accepted a substitute version of HB 64, the state's biennial budget bill. The House's version of the bill includes a provision increasing the PLF from 1.66% to 1.7%. In addition, the substitute bill makes numerous changes to the governor's tax reform proposal. The substitute bill contains more than 3,000 pages. We will send out additional information and talking points once we have an opportunity to review all of the changes. This is definitely a step forward, but we still have a long way to go in the overall budget process. The House hopes to finish their work next week after additional hearings and amendments. Then, the bill will move to the Senate for consideration. This change will be the primary focus of our advocacy efforts on Legislative Day on April 28th!...

An update on the Ohio State FY '16-'17, in regards to public libraries, according to OLC's Access Weekly: " Analysis Underway on Proposed FY16-17 State Budget and Potential Impact on PLF The OLC staff and consultants have begun the tedious process of analyzing the 719-pages of Gov. Kasich's proposed $72.3 billion state budget for fiscal years (FY) 2016-17, and the potential impact the proposals may have on the Public Library Fund (PLF). The budget proposal includes a combination of tax cuts and tax increases. Overall, the administration claims it amounts to $500 million net tax cut, even though it includes increases in sales, commercial activity, tobacco, and severance taxes. Some of the high points of the proposal include: Cuts the income tax by 23% across-the-board (15% income tax cut this year and 8% cut next year); Raises the Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) on gross receipts from .26% to .32%; Increases the Cigarette Tax from $1.25 to $2...