League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund
Hamilton County, OH November 4, 2008 Election
	Bill Seitz Answers Questions Candidate for State Senator; District 8

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What are the two most pressing issues you will face if you are elected? (50 word limit)

1. Managing the next State biennial budget, which is strained due to economic conditions.
2. Addressing the sharp spike in energy costs.

2. How will you address each of those issues? (100 word limit)

1. Several ideas on budget management: increased use of joint purchasing; incentivizing consolidation of local government functions; four day work week; implementing regulatory reform; reducing prison costs by allowing low level offenders to serve in halfway houses with technological monitoring.
2. Our recent legislation on electric restructuring, emphasizing renewable power and price controls, is a start. We should allow natural gas drilling on public lands and use the royalties to retrofit fuel stations so more clean burning natural gas cars can be used at half the price of gasoline.

3. What role should the state play in updating Ohio's aging infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and transit services and equipment, in order to promote economic revitalization? (100 word limit)

The state plays a major role. We already increased state support for local infrastructure by several hundred million dollars through our bi-partisan $1.57 billion economic stimulas package. We should do more by redirecting the CAT tax on gasoline to the transportation budget, which is constitutionally required.

4. What role do state legislators have in reforming health care in the U.S.? (100 word limit)

State legislators' role is limited because federal ERISA law limits what states can do. My recent legislation (H.B. 125) making the healthcare system more efficient won me the State Medical Association's first-ever Voice of Medicine Award. We should also incentivize the widespread purchase of long term care insurance, to control spiralling Medicaid costs.

---

Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. The answer must not exceed 100 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Candidate Page || Feedback to Candidate || This Contest
SmartVoter Home (Ballot Lookup) || About Smart Voter

---

Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 16, 2008 07:57
Smart Voter <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund   http://www.lwvc.org
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office or political parties.