League of Women Voters of Ohio
| ||||
 |
|
|||
|
State Issue 1 To enact Section 2 of Article VIII of the Ohio Constitution pertaining to environmental and related conservation, preservation, and revitalization purposes State of Ohio Constitutional Amendment proposed by the General Assembly 2,132,349 / 57%% Yes votes ...... 43%% No votes
See Also:
Index of all Issues |
||||
| ||||
| Information shown below: Impartial Analysis | | ||||
|
To adopt Section 20 of Article VIII of the Constitution of the State of Ohio. This proposed amendment would: 1. Authorize the state to issue bonds and other obligations to pay the costs of projects for environmental conservation and revitalization purposes. 2. Specify "conservation purposes" as meaning the conservation and preservation of natural areas, open spaces, and farmlands and other lands devoted to agriculture, including by acquiring land or interests therein; the provision of state and local park and recreation facilities, and other actions that permit and enhance the availability, public use, and enjoyment of natural areas and open spaces in Ohio; and land, forest, water and other natural resource management projects. 3. Specify "revitalization purposes" as meaning providing for and enabling the environmentally safe and productive development and use or reuse of publicly and privately owned lands, including those within urban areas, by the remediation or clean up of contamination; and addressing by clearance, land acquisition or otherwise, contamination or other property conditions or circumstances that might be deleterious to the public health and safety and the environment and water and other natural resources, or that preclude or inhibit environmentally sound or economic use of the property. 4. Limit the total outstanding principal amount of all state obligations issued for conservation purposes, which shall be general obligations of the state backed by the full faith and credit, revenue, and taxing power of the state, to two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) and the principal amount of all new obligations issued within a single fiscal year to fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) plus the principal amount of obligations that in any prior fiscal year could have been but were not issued within the fifty million dollar ($50,000,000) fiscal year limit. 5. Limit the total outstanding principal amount of all state obligations issued for revitalization purposes, which shall not be general obligations of the state and shall not be backed by the full faith and credit, revenue, and taxing power of the state but which would be secured by a pledge of designated state revenues and receipts as the General Assembly authorizes, to two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) and the principal amount of all new obligations issued within a single fiscal year to fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) plus the principal amount of obligations that in any prior fiscal year could have been but were not issued within the fifty million dollar ($50,000,000) fiscal year limit. 6. Require that the obligations mature no later than December 31 of the twenty-fifth (25th) calendar year after issuance, except that obligations issued to refund or retire other obligations must mature no later than December 31 of the twenty-fifth (25th) calendar year after the year in which the original obligation to pay was issued or entered into. 7. Determine and confirm that state and local governmental participation in and financial assistance to environmental and related conservation, preservation and revitalization projects are public purposes, authorize the state to participate or assist in the financing of those projects undertaken by local governmental entities or by others, including not-for-profit organizations, and specify that these activities would not be subject to the lending aid and credit prohibitions of Sections 4 and 6 of Article VIII of the Ohio Constitution. If adopted, this amendment shall take immediate effect. A majority yes vote is necessary for passage.
1.This amendment allows the passage of laws permitting the state to issue bonds and other obligations to pay the costs of projects for environmental conservation and revitalization purposes. 2.This amendment defines "conservation purposes" to mean the conservation and preservation of natural areas, open spaces, and farmlands and other lands, devoted to agriculture, including by acquiring land or interests in land; the provision of state and local park and recreation facilities, and other actions that permit and enhance the availability, public use, and enjoyment of natural areas and open spaces in Ohio; and land, forest, water and other natural resource management projects. 3.This amendment defines "revitalization purposes" to mean providing for and enabling the environmentally safe and productive development and use or reuse of publicly and privately owned lands, including those within urban areas, by the remediation or clean up of contamination; and addressing by clearance, land acquisition or otherwise, contamination or other property conditions or circumstances that might be deleterious to the public health and safety and the environment and water and other natural resources, or that preclude or inhibit environmentally sound or economic use of the property. 4.This amendment limits the principal amount of state obligations for conservation purposes that can be outstanding at any time to no more than two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000), and limits the amount that can be borrowed in any one fiscal year to no more than fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) plus the amount that could have been but wasn't borrowed in any prior fiscal year up to this fifty million dollar ($50,000,000) limit. The bonds and other obligations issued for conservation purposes would be general obligations of the state, backed by the full faith and credit, revenue, and taxing power of the state. 5.This amendment limits the principal amount of state obligations for revitalization purposes that can be outstanding at any time to no more than two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000), and limits the amount that can be borrowed in any one fiscal year to no more than fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) plus the amount that could have been but wasn't borrowed in any prior fiscal year up to this fifty million dollar ($50,000,000) limit. The bonds and other obligations issued for revitalization purposes would not be general obligations of the state and would not be backed by the full faith and credit, revenue, and taxing power of the state. They would be secured by a pledge of designated state revenues and receipts as the General Assembly authorizes. 6.This amendment requires that the obligations mature no later than December 31 of the twenty-fifth (25th) calendar year after issuance, except that obligations issued to refund or retire other obligations must mature no later than December 31 of the twenty-fifth ((25th) calendar year after the year in which the original obligation to pay was issued or entered into. 7.This amendment determines and confirms that state and local governmental participation in and financial assistance to environmental and related conservation, preservation and revitalization projects are public purposes; authorizes the state to participate or assist in the financing of those projects undertaken by local governmental entities or by others, including not-for-profit organizations; and specifies that these activities would not be subject to the prohibitions against lending aid and credit in Sections 4 and 6 of Article VIII of the Ohio Constitution. To the extent that state obligations are payable from state General Revenue Fund resources, their issuance would be subject to the five per cent (5%) "cap" on state debt service under Section 17 of Article VIII of the Ohio Constitution. Pursuant to Section 5a of Article XII of the Ohio Constitution, money raised from motor vehicle related revenues could not be used for the payment of debt service on obligations issued under this amendment.
|
Nonpartisan Information Events
| |||
Ohio Home Page || About Smart Voter || Feedback
Created: January 25, 2001 02:35
Smart Voter 2000 <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © 2000 League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office or political parties.