Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland today outlined priority legislation for the Ohio General Assembly to carefully consider while in session for the next several weeks.

The governor in a news release called for legislative action on the following initiatives from his State of the State address in January:

* Elimination of the tangible personal property tax on generation for wind and solar facilities that break ground this year, create Ohio jobs, and begin producing energy by 2012.

* A bipartisan foreclosure bill that would keep hard-working Ohio families in their homes, protect homeowners from housing schemes designed by Wall Street, and stabilize Ohio’s housing market to stabilize the state's economy.

* Pass casino implementation legislation that would invest $200 million in urban workforce initiatives, including the Build Your Own Business initiative, the co-op internship program and the Ohio Workforce Guarantee program.

He is also asking the legislature to prioritize:

* A bipartisan bill that would close payday lending loopholes, upholding the goal and the spirit of the initiative overwhelming supported by Ohio voters two years ago.

* Providing funding for Ohio’s coal permitting program to create jobs.

* Renewing Enterprise Zones to spur economic growth and create jobs in Ohio’s cities and urban centers.

* A veteran’s education bill to increase the number of Ohio National Guard Scholarships available to our veterans.

-- John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com