[Posted for John Corlett]
The TEL constitutional amendment, proposed by Secretary of State Ken Blackwell and Citizens for Tax Reform, appears all but dead. That’s because the legislature’s Republican leadership, the Governor, and Secretary Blackwell worked out a deal that allowed the amendment to be pulled from the ballot in return for the passage of a statutory TEL (referred to as TEL-Lite). The maneuver was the result of mounting criticism of the constitutional TEL from nearly every quarter of the state. Community Solutions' staff were at the center of the debate, crisscrossing Ohio educating local governments, community groups, and others about the dangers of a constitutional TEL amendment. Unfortunately, the statutory TEL passed by the legislature will create its own set of problems, particularly for education, health care, and social services. But, unlike a constitutional amendment, it can be changed by future legislatures. Community Solutions published a brief analysis of impact of the legislation prior to its passage: "Education Shoulders Greatest Burdens Under Proposed Statutory TEL."