A Long Way to go for State Fiscal Relief

April 20, 2010 - While OCSEA members made almost 100 calls recently to bring federal aid to Ohio, now another bill threatens to wipe out county and local government coffers, making the need to step it up even greater. To get the message to legislators about the need for fiscal relief, we need to make many, many more calls.

The Senate bill, which fortunately passed in the U.S. Senate last month, combined with this new House bill that adds aid to local government will bring in a total of $23 billion.

OCSEA is asking members to call their representatives and make them aware of the urgency of reconciling the bills; while the Senate bill has passed, the Senate and the House need to work together to reconcile these pieces of legislation and get a collaborative effort signed into law by President Obama. This collaboration will result in passage of the Local Jobs for America Act--and we need it as soon as possible.

If Ohio doesn’t see this through, we can expect to see new, huge holes in the state budget in the coming months. That could mean more cuts to state government, and to OCSEA members. To keep this from happening, call your decision makers in Washington TODAY. Call 888-340-6517 to reach your U.S. Representative and Senator and tell them what this aid means to you.

You can even use the sample script below.

"I'm calling to urge you to save and create jobs by investing in public services. First, I urge you to finish the job on increased Medicaid funding for cash-strapped states. Both the House and Senate need to vote on this one more time before it goes to President Obama for his signature.

Second, I'm asking that you co-sponsor and support the Local Jobs for America Act, which will invest money in local governments and school districts and save and create one million public and private jobs in our communities.

The economy is recovering. But we need to speed it up, and investing in public services is one of the best ways to do that. Can I count on your support for both of these important items?"

See Related

Jobs bill - with aid to states - passes in the U.S. Senate

Senate passes short-term unemployment benefit extension without much-needed aid to states