COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Gov. John Kasich is not eager to
end the death penalty, not afraid to veto a drilling tax and not looking
to push a right-to-work proposal to limit labor unions.
The
first-term Republican made those stances clear in answering questions
Thursday during a legislative preview session for journalists, organized
by The Associated Press.
Still unknown is what he’ll say in his State of the State address on Feb. 24 in Medina.
"I don’t know yet," he told reporters. "But hopefully it will not be a real long
talk."
State leaders including Kasich were asked about an array of policy issues facing them in the election
year.
Online
voter registration was among the top priorities for Secretary of State
Jon Husted, also a Republican. But support for it among his fellow GOP
lawmakers who dominate the Legislature remains unclear.
Leading
Republicans told reporters at the forum that their caucuses have not
taken positions on whether to let Ohioans sign up online to vote. Senate
President Keith Faber, of Celina, said his GOP members have mixed
feelings about it.
Outside of election law changes, the leaders
said they’re working on adjustments to the state’s renewable energy and
efficiency mandates, along with tax changes that include a rate hike on
horizontally drilled shale wells.
A proposal pending in the
Legislature calls for severance-tax increases on the wells, with
proceeds funding a statewide income-tax cut. The measure replaces a
scuttled tax plan that Kasich sought. The new plan would generate an
estimated $2 billion over 10 years.
Kasich said he’s still working with the General Assembly on the idea.
"If
I don’t have a severance tax that passes the smell test in terms of
what I think is fair, I told the leaders I’d veto it," he said.
House
Minority Leader Tracy Maxwell Heard, a Columbus Democrat, said the
state was lagging behind in the tax revenue that others were getting
from the industry. She said she does not believe companies would leave
because of the tax.
Faber also said he was confident Ohio doesn’t
run the risk of chasing away energy companies. "The industry is
maturing, and now is the time to have that discussion in a holistic
way," he said.
State leaders including Kasich were asked about
their position on the death penalty, following the prolonged execution
of a condemned killer this month that led to calls for a state
moratorium on capital punishment.
Kasich said he awaits the review
of the execution by Ohio’s corrections department. "But at the end of
the day," he said, "I believe that the death penalty, when applied in a
strict way with a thoroughness, is an appropriate amount of justice that
should be delivered."
Heard was the only one of four legislative leaders to back a moratorium.
Attorney
General Mike DeWine was asked about the state’s appeal of a federal
judge’s ruling that ordered Ohio to recognize gay marriages on death
certificates.
In the ruling last month, federal Judge Timothy
Black said Ohio’s ban on gay marriage, passed by voters in 2004, is
unconstitutional and that states cannot discriminate against same-sex
couples simply because some voters don’t like homosexuality.
Gay marriage supporters in Ohio are collecting signatures for a constitutional amendment that would
repeal the ban.
Asked
whether he would halt the appeal pending the outcome of the effort,
DeWine said, "I think it would be irresponsible of me, and I’m not sure
ethically I could do that."
Other highlights from the forum include:
—Kasich said efforts restrict union fees in the Rust Belt state is not on his agenda.
—DeWine
said he thinks it would be "a mistake" for Ohio to legalize marijuana,
but it’s worth examining at how it plays out in other states, such as
Colorado. "I don’t think it’s going to work out to well, but we’ll see."
—Republican
and Democratic legislative leaders were split on the time the General
Assembly has spent debating women’s health issues such as abortions.
—Ohio
Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern said he sees Kasich’s record on
economic and women’s health issues as his weaknesses going into the
fall election; Republican Party chairman Matt Borges pointed to
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald’s record of public
service and trouble in picking a running mate as vulnerabilities.
—Borges
said he’s never spoken with Kasich about the governor’s interest in a
2016 presidential bid. "I know that no one in our building is looking
anywhere beyond 2014."
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