COLUMBUS — Majority Republicans in the Ohio House promised action Tuesday on bills to curb natural gas prices, control prescription drug costs and implement election reform.

        Those issues — and a pledge to enact changes in school funding and student testing — are covered in a set of bills House Speaker Larry Householder, R-Glenford, unveiled Tuesday.

        “I think you'll find the agenda we put forth is comprehensive in nature,” Mr. Householder said.

Householder

        Under a bill Mr. Householder supports, individual homeowners would be able to get together and pool their demands for natural gas. The idea behind this so-called aggregation plan is that a large group can obtain a better price than each individual can separately.

        Cities and township governments would be able to form buying pools for their residents if voters approve them by referendum. Residents who do not want to be part of a voter-approved pool could choose to opt out of the new system.

        The bill also would give the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio more powers to regulate companies that offer natural gas to businesses and homeowners at competitive prices.

        A colder-than-usual winter and a tight supply of gas forced several of these companies to shut down. That stuck their customers with higher prices charged by other gas companies.

        While the plan does offer a chance of relief, PUCO Chairman Alan Schriber said the plan won't help reduce high bills many homeowners face this year.

        Ohio Gov. Bob Taft has a plan that would offer maximum $250 state credits to help defray the heating costs of Ohio families that make up to twice the federal poverty level. That plan has yet to appear in a bill.

        Mr. Householder said the House heating plan would not replace Mr. Taft's. He said it was an attempt to deal with long-term heating problems.

        Cincinnati City Council member Alicia Reece, who last week urged state officials to permit natural gas aggregation, said she was pleased by the move.

        “It provides the city and Hamilton County one more option to look at,” she said.
       

Prescription drugs
        Thousands of seniors and disabled Ohioans would receive discounts on prescription drugs by using a special, state provided card under another idea Mr. Householder favors. The bill mirrors a proposal the governor outlined in his Jan. 24 State of the State address.

        The measure would dramatically expand the state's Golden Buckeye Card program, which now offers se niors discounts on products and services at over 25,000 Ohio businesses.

        Agency spokesman Steve Proctor said the state could use Ohio's 1 million or so cardholders to lure offers of group rate discounts from pharmacies or drug companies. Similar private-sector programs have shaved up to 30 percent off some drug purchases, Mr. Proctor said.

        One portion of the bill would let the state charge cardholders a one-time or annual fee. Mr. Proctor said he's not sure the agency supports that idea.

        “The card has been free,” Mr. Proctor said. “Our goal is to keep it that way.”
       

Election procedures
        Republicans also will attempt to pass a bill that would clearly define procedures election officials must follow to recount absentee and punch-card ballots in close elections.

        Under the measure, a vote could not be counted if a chad is still connected to its punch card by three or four corners. Absentee ballots cast by members of the military serving overseas that are not postmarked would count toward an election if they are mailed before Election Day.

        While both proposals already are state policy, Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell wants them written into state law. Doing so, he said, would eliminate any questions that arise in a recount.

        “This legislation is our first step toward comprehensive election reform in Ohio,” Mr. Blackwell said.
       

Conceal-and-carry bill
        While work is set to begin in committees on each proposal, Mr. Householder had little to say about a more controversial measure. Many Republican and some Democrat lawmakers support a bill that would let Ohioans carry concealed weapons with a permit, but that was not among the speaker's priorities.

        “As far as the conceal and carry (proposal) is concerned, I don't think it's a natural priority for the people of Ohio,” Mr. Householder said.

Shirey a finalist for new job in Texas
Lawmakers in Ohio set agenda
Levy generosity: The bills are now due
Cincinnati should lead off ballpark-stamps lineup
Onlookers mourn city's loss
Boy held in death of Northside girl, 13
Electric room heaters could reduce bills
UC to build new 'Sander'
Villa Hills should end turmoil
Heroic acts often defy reason
ACLU weighs suit on profiling
Another rate hike in pipeline
Aquifer's future a concern
Blue Grass Airport 'loses' runway
Bunning decries labor contributions
Clermont watches water
Gov. Patton prayer event leaves some out
Historic log building leveled; Landmark's end angers residents
Kenton Dems get new boss
Kenton to defend tax increase
Miami male athletes lose discrimination claim
PSC wants quicker gas-cost changes
Publishing morgue photos a worry
School funding solution continues to be elusive
Seizure aboard TANK bus raises concerns about safety
Stepmom cites boy's tearful admission
Tax abatement granted
U.S. revolution museum plans $3M expansion
Utilities ordered to file changes monthly
Kentucky News Briefs
Tristate A.M. Report