This is an update to a prior article from the Tribune Chronicle:

We found this article that mentions a five-County transportation corridor with Lake County being one of them…..Strange be we have not heard anything about this.  We will reach out our officials and Lake Tran (heard that they are in financial difficulties and may put a levy on the ballot) to see if they can enlightened us on what is going on.

http://www.wfmj.com/story/39782295/five-county-transportation-corridor-to-help-disabled-elderly-across-ohio
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Here is yet another Tribune Chronicle article on this issue.  Looks like it is dead for now, but issues like this keep “coming back to life” for some reason.

Fri. 9:30 p.m.: Transit amendment removed from transportation bill

WARREN – A provision in the transportation budget bill crafted by local transportation officials and a local senator opposed by some senior groups, including the Ohio Association of Senior Centers, was removed from the bill before the Ohio Senate approved its version.

Ohio Sen. Sean O’Brien, D-Bazetta, worked on the amendment with Trumbull Transit mobility manager Michael Verich and Trumbull Transit contractor Terry Thomas, owner of Community Bus Services, in response to questions raised about the legality of using money raised in senior levies to leverage money for a transportation system that benefits other groups of people, and not just seniors.

The amendment to the transportation bill would have been “permissive,” approving a practice already being used in Trumbull County, O’Brien said.

But, the law was introduced while Trumbull County commissioners were waiting to hear from the Ohio Attorney General if the practice in Trumbull County is even legal even though it has been ongoing since the county system was formed in 2011.

(LFC Comment: So what the heck is a permissive law?

Here is a definition for you:
“Permissive laws, are typically defined as laws that grant permission act in a manner otherwise prohibited.”….[read: it is ok to do it because the government says it is ok!!!!]

So in this case they were trying to get approval in order to “back date” the legality of something that has been done in Trumbull County since 2011.  In our opinion, they have a bit of a deception stuck to their shoe….and it stinks all the way to Lake County)

Would you like to see the art of getting legislation passed in Ohio?

1. An entity, in this case Community Bus Service, discusses the issue with local officials, Senators and Representatives, to create an amendment to a bill.
   Here is the transit amendment to H.B. 62:  Transit Amendment HB 62
2. A champion in the legislature is established to take the bill forward.
   Here is a letter from the State Senator and Minority Whip in Columbus on the Transit Bill Amendment to H.B. 62:  Letter from Senators on Transit Bill HB 62
3. The champion may solicit help from others:
   Here is an email from State Representative Jamie Callender (District #61) indicating that he was lobbied by others to add the amendment to the H.B. 62Here is an email that we received from Mr. Callender:

   “Thank you for contacting my office regarding an amendment to the Transportation Budget recently passed out of the House.  As you may know, I am the person who offered the amendment.

   This past fall, my predecessor in the House worked hard to include this, as well as other initiatives that would help Lake County, into an omnibus bill. The amendment was ultimately not inserted in the bill and thus did not become law. As a result, various interested parties asked that I work to include this in the transportation budget.

   By way of background, on January 11,  I had the opportunity to sit down with Lake County Commissioner Ron Young, to hear of the proposal of this amendment. Again, on February 8, I had a meeting with Commissioner Ron Young and a representative from a bus company where they assured me that amendment would save taxpayer dollars.

   The purpose of this amendment is simply to provide leverage to draw down additional federal funding thus saving local and county dollars.

   Thank you for reaching out to me regarding this important matter.

   Respectfully,

   State Representative Jamie Callender
   Chairman of the Special Committee on Rules
   Chairman of the Joint Committee on Agency Rules and Review
   Ohio House District 61
   77 South High Street, 11th Floor
   Columbus, OH 43215
   (614) 466-6074
   Rep61@OhioHouse.gov”

4. If the citizens do not like a proposed bill or amendment they have the right to state their position to the legislature:  Here is a letter from the “Trumbull County Senior Services Advisory Council” expressing their concern about the amendment:
   SSAC SENATOR LETTER 3_6_19 MEETING

Categories: Lake, Uncategorized

Tags: FT