Ohio AFL-CIO President Testifies Against HJR1
Today, the Ohio House Joint Resolution Committee held a hearing on House Joint Resolution 1 (HRJ 1), which would undermine the voters by forcing a 60% threshold for initiated Constitutional Amendments and holding the election to decide its fate in a historically August Special Election.
Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga and Central Ohio Building and Constructions Trades Council leader Dorsey Hager both testified in person with strong opposition to HJR 1 and holding an August Election. Other labor organizations testified against HJR 1 with written testimony included The Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades and the Ohio Education Association. Seventeen labor organizations, including the Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, submitted written testimony.
Burga stated, “For over 110 years, Ohioans have had the right to put Constitutional Amendments directly on the ballot for voter approval with a simple majority. This is the fair and democratic way, and over the years our federation’s governing body has supported some of these ballot issues and we have opposed some. Whether we support or oppose a ballot measure is beside the point, as we strongly believe in Ohioans’ rights to advance electoral issues and seek voter approval through direct simple majority democracy as permitted since 1912”.
Burga closed his testimony with a plea to Committee members to stop with the divisive issues and instead focus on the good momentum we have on job creation and economic development and advance policies that bring us together and improve the lives of all Ohioans. (Read President Burga’s full testimony here)
The independent press has been united in their opposition to HJR 1 and an August Special Election, prompting the Cleveland Plain Dealer to write: "But the cynicism of HJR 1 is made worse, if that can be possible, by the push to revive the August special election option that legislators virtually abolished just two months ago. Abolished so definitively, in fact, that Republicans have had to introduce another bill to allow (and authorize $20 million to pay for) a possible special election Aug. 8 to try to get HJR 1 passed before the November election."
Republicans in the House that support HJR1 have made it clear that they are sacrificing this sacred citizens’ right to try and get out in front of a protentional ballot amendment on reproductive rights. All Republicans but one on the Committee (Rep. Brett Hillyer) voted to pass HJR 1 out of Committee. To put this issue on the ballot 2/3 of the entire Ohio House and Senate will have to vote in the affirmative. To trigger an August 8 Special Election, the legislature would have until May 10 to pass this undemocratic measure.