For
Immediate Release
January
27, 2010
REP.
CLIFF HITe: STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR STRICKLAND'S STATE OF THE
STATE ADDRESS
COLUMBUS—Following
Governor Strickland’s State of the State address,
Representative Cliff Hite (R-Findlay) delivered the following
remarks:
“Under
Governor Strickland’s leadership, Ohio has lost more than
330,000 jobs, 260,000 of which were lost this past year.
Ohio has had the displeasure of seeing its unemployment rate
reach record heights and its credit rating reach record lows.
I hope that the governor makes more attempts to reach across
the aisle in 2010. Republicans have offered innovative
solutions to help turn around Ohio and it is time that
Governor Strickland listens. Ohioans are tired of
waiting on a big government fueled by high taxes. The
governor knows what the stakes are in 2010, and hopefully this
year will be a break from the past for Governor Strickland.”
GUEST
COLUMN FROM REPRESENTATIVE CLIFF HITE
HIGH-TECH INVESTMENTS WILL REVIVE THE
ECONOMY
The
global economy is becoming increasingly competitive, and for
that reason it is important that Ohio keeps up in the race for
businesses and technological innovation. The House
Republican Caucus spent 2009 working to retain college
graduates, create jobs and to encourage business growth.
I
recently supported legislation to renew the Ohio Third
Frontier Program, which is a valuable contributor to our state
economy. Governor Taft originally established this bipartisan
program in 2002 to expand Ohio’s research capabilities and
create secure jobs for future generations. As one of the
state’s largest technological investments, this $1.6 billion
initiative aims to widen Ohio’s high-tech industries while
promoting specialized economic growth within the state.
Specifically, it builds research programs in key areas,
including alternative energy and biomedicine.
By
making Ohio an attractive site for tech-based companies and
business growth, Third Frontier has created $6.6 billion in
economic impact and more than 41,000 jobs in just seven years.
In fact, in 2006, 2007 and 2008, Site Selection magazine
awarded Ohio the Governor’s Cup award for the most facility
locations and expansions, with 503 new projects in 2008 alone.
Third
Frontier was an unprecedented bipartisan agreement that had
not been previously seen in the Statehouse during this General
Assembly. I’m pleased that Governor Strickland renewed
this Republican-championed initiative even during this
challenging economy. Although the Legislature needs to
remain cautious of spending projects when faced with
significant budget deficits, it is also important to strike a
balance by encouraging high-tech businesses while being
mindful of how these investments will affect the taxpayers.
As
the Ohio Legislature works to maintain our historically
successful industries in manufacturing and agriculture, we
will continue to work to attract research opportunities and
jumpstart our economic recovery by giving Ohio a competitive
advantage. Creating jobs and promoting business
expansion is my top priority in Columbus, and I will continue
to fight to improve our state competitiveness and get Ohioans
back to work.
For
Immediate Release
January 13, 2010
Rep.
Hite: Third Frontier Boosts Economy
An Initiative Republicans and
Democrats Can Agree On
COLUMBUS—State
Representative Cliff Hite (R-Findlay) today supported
legislation to place the renewal of the Third Frontier
initiative on the May ballot. This investment will spur
the growth of high-tech business clusters throughout Ohio.
“My
number one priority is putting Ohioans back to work. The
Third Frontier initiative has a proven track record of
creating more than 41,000 jobs. This initiative along
with the “Future of Ohio” jobs package that was rolled out
by my Republican caucus in September 2009 is critical to
getting Ohio back to work.”
Third
Frontier allows for investment in research and development to
create well-paying jobs and industry in all regions of Ohio.
This investment serves to prime the pump for out-of-state
capital that will nourish high-tech industries in Ohio,
creating jobs and spurring new economic development.
Considering
the partisan political climate of the 128th General
Assembly, the Third Frontier initiative is an unprecedented
bipartisan commitment to create new technology-based products,
companies, industries and jobs that will make Ohio
economically competitive.
“Third
Frontier has already created more-than 500 companies and
attracted $3.5 billion in private investment to Ohio.
This initiative benefits all Ohioans through research for
alternative fuels, medical research, and biotech research.
The Third Frontier initiative encourages partnerships between
our state’s research universities and the private sector to
create new products and jobs,” Hite said.
Lawmakers
remain committed to this proposal as originally introduced in
2002. Since that time, Ohio has seen an impressive
return on investment of 41,300 jobs created and $6.6
billion in economic activity generated. The measure
passed the full House 85-13.
For
Immediate Release
December 17, 2009
REPRESENTATIVE
HITE DECRIES HOUSE BILL 318
Columbus—
State Representative Cliff Hite (R-Findlay) today
decried the passage of Governor Strickland and House
Democrat's proposal to raise taxes on families and small
businesses. House Bill 318 will eliminate the final
installment of the income tax reductions set forth in 2005,
which will force taxpayers to relinquish an additional $851
million in new taxes.
Governor
Strickland and House Democrats supported the 4.2 percent tax
increase while ignoring House Republican calls for waste
reduction and government accountability. With a heavier
burden being forced upon the shoulders of entrepreneurs, House
Republicans fear the effect this tax increase will have on
Ohio's long-term job potential.
“House
Bill 318 will discourage investment by raising taxes on the
people who create jobs,” Hite said. “When taxes are
raised, money is stolen from job-creating equipment and
positions.”
Small
businesses have generated 64 percent of net new jobs over the
past 15 years, according to the Small Business Association.
They also employ approximately half of all workers in the U.S.
and pay 44 percent of total private payroll.
House
Republicans believe that raising taxes in this economy will
ruin Ohio's competitiveness in creating jobs and attracting
new business opportunities. With one of the top ten
highest state income tax rates in the country, further raising
Ohio's income taxes will compel families and businesses
relocate elsewhere.
“House
Bill 318 is a tax increase on all levels, affecting the rich,
poor, middle class and small businesses,” Hite said.
“Ohio's leaders need to make a choice whether they would
rather create jobs or continue to feed our hungry government
with more tax dollars.”
GUEST
COLUMN FROM REPRESENTATIVE CLIFF HITE
WHERE HAVE ALL THE JOBS GONE?
In
today’s highly mobile economy, states fiercely compete with
each other for businesses, jobs and people. With 231,000
taxpayers fleeing Ohio during the past 15 years, it’s clear
that the Buckeye State is failing in this interstate
competition.
Economically,
it is no surprise that companies are fleeing high-tax states
like Ohio and relocating to business-friendly, low-tax states
like Texas. After all, when people want to keep more of
their own hard-earned money, they end up speaking with their
feet and taking their capital and opportunities elsewhere.
Native Ohioans are forsaking the state in which they grew up,
and out-of-state people and businesses overlook Ohio when
considering relocation.
Despite
a slew of evidence from renowned economists, it amazes me how
many people still refuse to recognize that in the race for
economic opportunities, state tax codes really do matter.
With
Ohio’s economy in shambles, state leaders need to make a
choice between creating jobs or blindly taxing our citizens to
feed an out-of-control, hungry government. We are
wasting too many tax dollars by not operating a cost-efficient
government, and in turn we are losing the corporate staples of
our economy.
Just
this past year, National Cash Register (NCR) abandoned its
Dayton headquarters of 125 years in favor of Georgia, a
tax-friendly state with an ALEC-Laffer economic outlook
ranking of eighth in the nation. Timken closed its
Canton manufacturing plant due to overregulation, a move that
displaced 1,300 workers. And the most recent blow to
Ohio’s economy comes from Cleveland, where American
Greetings announced plans to study relocation from its Ohio
headquarters because the state and local taxes are simply too
steep.
What
we should learn from these corporate relocations is that even
though the Legislature may attempt to regulate and raise taxes
on businesses, it doesn’t mean that businesses will stick
around to suffer the consequences.
As
businesses and families continue to leave Ohio, state leaders
need to focus on creating and retaining jobs to get Ohioans
back to work. In 2009 alone, more than 200,000 Ohio jobs
were lost and, on top of that, families have been slapped with
a 4.2 percent tax increase. This is no time for a tax
increase that will hinder spending and investments by those
who remain in Ohio.
As
the Legislature takes its first steps into 2010, I will
continue to fight for responsible spending and
business-friendly taxes for Ohio. This is the only
answer to the ongoing question of how to stop the slow
hemorrhage of families, businesses and jobs from our borders.
As your state representative, I will advocate for economically
sound policies that will create jobs and put Ohio back on the
road to recovery.
GUEST
COLUMN from representative cliff hite
2009 in review
This
year has been one of the most difficult years for Ohio’s
legislators and families. 2009 was characterized by an
extremely difficult budget and record job loss, and now more
than ever families are looking to their state leaders to do
what is right for Ohio's future.
Unfortunately,
despite the loss of state revenues this year, our state budget
increased spending by $1 billion annually when it should have
been trimmed. As a result of irresponsible budgeting,
our state now faces an $851 million budget deficit that must
be filled. Due to this budget's failure to provide
sustainable funding for vital programs and public services,
the next budget will likely be very difficult to balance and
may necessitate heavy tax increases on Ohio's families.
To
help repair our budget in advance, I cosponsored an initiative
to streamline state spending, reduce waste and make government
more effective. House Bill 25 would make state agencies
work better for the citizens who rely on the services they
provide. If enacted, House Bill 25 could save Ohio's
taxpayers $1 billion each year by ensuring that each tax
dollar spent has a dollar's return. I believe that this
bill is a necessary action while Ohio strives for economic
growth.
I
also cosponsored House Bill 66 to trim wasteful government
pork projects by establishing the State Government Efficiency
Commission. This commission would be charged with
examining state agencies, identifying those that are
uneconomical, and submitting recommendations for cost-saving
measures.
Ohio
instituted a task force to study government waste back in
1983, but none of the commission's recommendations were put
into action. If they had, Ohio could have saved the
taxpayers billions of dollars during the past 26 years.
With state revenues plummeting and more jobs being lost, now
is the time to finally put into practice the cost-saving
proposals our state truly needs.
These
necessary bills have been silenced in committee, and neither
has seen a vote in committee or on the House floor. The
effectiveness of our state government has not been examined in
more than half a century; state spending has become wasteful
and bloated. Instead of continuing to blindly feed more tax
dollars into spending projects, we need to reduce wasteful
expenditures and bring our state government back to fiscal
responsibility.
I
continue to hope that 2010 will bring bipartisan conversations
about Ohio's future and what needs to be done to preserve it.
With everything at stake, this is not the time for inaction.
I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of
the aisle to ensure Ohio’s future as the second half of the
General Assembly commences.
GUEST
COLUMN from representative cliff hite
budget crisis requires sustainable
solutions
In
October, a bill passed the Ohio House of Representatives that
would suspend the final installment of the income tax
reductions of 2005. House Bill 318 retroactively
increases the tax burden on Ohioans for this tax year, at a
time when families are already struggling with unemployment
and wage cuts. As your voice in Columbus, I believe that
raising taxes during Ohio's worst economy in more than two
decades is irresponsible and shortsighted.
Many
proponents of House Bill 318 have claimed that it is not a tax
increase and it merely maintains the tax rates of 2008.
But for most families who have been promised a particular tax
rate and planned their budgets accordingly, House Bill 318
cannot be seen as anything but a tax increase. We
can bicker about vernacular details or what a “tax
increase” really is, but the bottom line is that for 2009,
your family's tax rates will increase beyond what you had
expected in January.
It
is disappointing that many of Ohio’s leaders have again
turned to the taxpayers to pay for our bloated state
government. How can they, in good conscience, raise
taxes on families without considering alternative solutions,
like tightening state spending or other cost-saving measures?
There
is no doubt that there needs to be immediate action to address
the budget deficit, but a tax increase is not the answer.
The problem is that Ohio has for too long been a high-tax
state, which has led to our recent population exodus and
industry decline. If we hope to create jobs, we need to
consider alternative solutions to bring new, innovative
opportunities. Tax increases will only counteract our
hopes for economic recovery and job creation.
Unless
we examine Ohio's fundamental budget problem in a critical,
objective way, we will continue to face budget crises and job
loss year after year. These difficult economic times and
our state's over-reliance on the taxpayers call for
fundamental structural changes. Instead of looking only
at the short-term, we must start considering our state's
long-term prosperity by finding solutions that will continue
to benefit us for decades.
As
a long-term solution to Ohio's financial crisis, I
co-sponsored House Bill 25 back in January to bring about
sustainable, cost-saving alternatives to tax increases.
House Bill 25 will significantly reduce state spending by
consolidating duplicitous state agencies and services.
Making state government operate more efficiently will allow us
to deliver vital services to Ohioans without the bureaucratic
red tape while reducing our reliance on tax dollars. By
essentially lowering the burden on taxpayers, this bill will
have a multiplier effect on the state economy by bringing jobs
to Ohio, retaining our educated workforce and facilitating
small business growth.
Unlike
a tax increase, House Bill 25 will provide the answers Ohioans
demand from their elected officials. We have an
opportunity to ensure that state government is operating as
efficiently and effectively as possible, while saving tax
dollars and helping Ohioans who rely upon those services.
This bill recently received its first House committee hearing
since January, and I am eager to get this measure moving for
the benefit of Ohio's future.
For
Immediate Release
October
21, 2009
representative
cliff hite
announces passage of state income tax
increase
COLUMBUS—
State Representative Cliff Hite (R-Findlay) today
opposed the Ohio House of Representatives’ passage of House
Bill 318, which would suspend the last installment of the
income tax reductions set forth in 2005.
Under
current law, state income tax rates are to be reduced by a
total of 21 percent over a five-year period, according to
House Bill 66 of the 126th General Assembly.
Governor Strickland and House Democrats have supported a
freeze of the tax reforms, which would retroactively increase
the tax burden on Ohio’s families by 4.2 percent in 2009.
“This
is a quick fix scheme that does not offer permanent cost
containment solutions for the future,” Hite said.
“With a potential multi-billion dollar deficit looming in
the next budget cycle, a more conscientious solution should
have been offered. House Republicans have initiated many
budget-saving alternatives that to date have not received a
hearing.”
In
addition, House Bill 318 would reduce the salaries of state
legislators by 5 percent, a proposal initially championed by
Representatives Seth Morgan (R-Huber Heights) and Terry Boose
(R-Norwalk) in June of this year. The salary reductions
would be effective starting in 2011, as permitted by the Ohio
Constitution.
Unlike
Morgan and Boose’s House Bill 210, the salary reduction
clause of House Bill 318 strips out key pieces of the
Republican proposal. It fails to apply to both the
executive and legislative branches, and it omits a sunset
provision that uses Ohio’s economy as the benchmark.
For those reasons, House Republicans were reluctant to support
House Bill 318 because it completely stripped the merit of
their original idea to an oversimplified adaptation.
“I
co-sponsored House Bill 210 in June that would have reduced
all elected officials’ pay by 5 percent, and not just
members of the House and Senate as suggested in House Bill
318,” Hite said.
House
Bill 318 was initiated to fill an $851 million budget deficit
caused by the failure of the video lottery terminals (VLT)
provision included in July’s biennial budget. House
Republicans have expressed concern that the bill imposes a
higher tax burden and continues the expansion of government
without providing for any cost-efficiency measures.
In
an effort to provide sustainable changes to fill the budget
deficit, House Republicans proposed amendments to House Bill
318 on the House floor that would streamline government
agencies and consolidate spending; minimize waste, fraud and
abuse in the Medicaid system; allow local school boards to
decide whether to accept unfunded state mandates; and create a
committee to maximize hospital employment and sustainability.
These suggestions were rejected by House Democrats.
“The
tax increase dilemma presented is disconcerting,” Hite said.
“Better programs can be implemented and should be
implemented. I am confident that no one on either side
of this issue is truly willing to reduce funding for schools.
A vote in support of House Bill 318 simply encourages a
‘Band-Aid’ solution to a large, ever-worsening economic
wound in the state of Ohio. As more than 10 percent of
Ohioans remain unemployed, I welcome an open bipartisan
solution to heal our great state.”
House
Bill 318 passed from the House by a 55-44 vote. The bill
now moves to the Senate for further consideration.
For
Immediate Release
September
30, 2009
hite
statement on strickland tax increase
COLUMBUS—
State Representative Cliff Hite (R- Findlay) issued the
following statement on the governor’s proposal to increase
the Ohio income tax:
“I
believe the governor has a responsibility to put forth his
ideas and solutions. I am grateful that he has at least
put something on the table to start the debate. However,
Governor Strickland has consistently maintained that raising
taxes in a poor economy is a bad idea that will likely delay
the economic recovery of Ohio. Now he has changed his
mind. I think he was right the first time. Certainly a
tax increase will hurt our economic competitiveness and
Ohioans are already struggling with meeting their day to day
needs. The tax cuts that were passed in 2005 were
enacted across the board equally for all Ohioans and this
proposal will likewise subject all Ohioans to an income tax
increase. Ohio House Republicans have been offering
alternatives to the existing budget for some time now.
Because of the situation and the governor’s invitation to
debate alternatives, it is time we work hard to find the
proper solutions to this budget dilemma.”
GUEST
COLUMN from representative cliff hite growing government
presents long-term concerns
The
late Ronald Reagan once said, “We don’t have a
trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough.
We have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much.”
As the federal government continues to spend money to
“jump-start” the economy, here in Ohio our state spending
has actually increased when it should have been reduced.
As both a legislator and concerned citizen, I can’t help but
wonder why many of my colleagues have supported government
growth and increased spending while families struggle to make
ends meet. After all, irresponsible spending contributed
to the decline of the economy in the first place.
Government
has grown too large to be managed efficiently and families are
paying the price for increased government expenses. Our
focus as legislators should be implementing responsible,
cost-effective spending to attract businesses to our state and
incite population influx within our borders. As families
tighten their budgets, government should reduce spending as
well by eliminating unnecessary waste where need be.
But
instead of reducing wasteful expenditures, our state budget
increases spending by more than $1 billion compared to last
fiscal year, and the $7 billion in one-time funding provides
only temporary support for the creation of new programs.
Now more than ever, Ohioans need long-term solutions to the
very real problems we are facing, but unfortunately this
budget does not provide those answers. To generate
lasting economic improvement, my fellow legislators and I
should direct our efforts toward reducing wasteful spending
and implementing a tax code that encourages business expansion
and job creation.
The
role of government is to work for all of its citizens,
including the middle class families and small business owners.
We are not submissive to government and should not be
obligated to feed its hunger, but unfortunately with the
direction in which our government is headed, the middle class
and small businesses will be hit hardest.
President
Reagan said it best: “The nine most terrifying words in the
English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m
here to help.’ ” It is not the government’s duty
to overtax and control the economy. It is not the
government’s duty to ensure your happiness or redistribute
personal capital. The government’s premier task is to
protect all Americans from corruption and threats, while
guaranteeing that both the wealthiest and poorest of our
society have equal opportunities to succeed. As your
state representative I will continue to advocate for a
government that serves “we the people,” not the other way
around.
