House-Senate negotiations begin;
Urge Congress to restore state aid in reconciled stimulus bill

Feb. 11, 2009 - Ohio's fight for fiscal relief continues: The Senate yesterday passed its version of the stimulus bill with a compromise amendment that cuts $25 billion in aid to states and puts all public services at risk.

Contact your representatives today and tell them that Ohio needs $1.2 billion in fiscal relief restored to create and save jobs, while preserving vital services. The actions Congress takes will drastically impact Ohio's state budget. In fact, Gov. Ted Strickland's budget proposal counts on the use of federal stimulus dollars in significant ways.

In a memo, the governor warned Ohio's Congressional delegation that a failure to restore state aid in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act would likely result in services cuts for:

• public health and safety services;
• rehabilitation and corrections institutional operations;
• youth services;
• mental health and mental retardation;
• higher education, which will lead to tuition increases;
• job and family services child care programs;
• Alzheimer’s respite care; and
• a diminished capacity to protect our state natural resources

"Put simply, without substantial fiscal relief for states, more Ohioans will lose jobs and fewer Ohioans will have access to the critical services that our state and local communities provide. (A brief outline of potential impacts of the cut is attached)," Strickland wrote. "Those negative consequences will undermine the very purpose of the bill by slowing the stimulative effects of the infrastructure investments and tax cuts."

Help protect Ohio jobs and public services. Don't delay your call or letter to Congress: Pres. Barack Obama says he wants a signed bill with adequate funding by next week.

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AFSCME launches radio ads to urge support for restoration of Senate's state aid cuts