Hi, Billy Cunningham, the great American. Welcome this Tuesday afternoon in the Tri State Reds baseball kicks off about six oh five. Lousy game last night, and as an old pitcher myself who pitched for Thomas Funeral Home, Deer Park, Ponykeg and Zava University, it appears obvious to me that Chase Burns was tipping his pitches much like Randy Johnson did. But he didn't have Randy Johnson's stuff. That's the problem. I think he got one out, gave up about sixteen
thousand runs Chase Burns. But someone's got to get to Chase. I could tell whether it was a fastball or an off speed pitch by the way he held his hand inside of his glove. If I could figure it out, guess what I think the other team, the Red Sox, can figure it out. All the action starts about six oh five tonight. Let's see what occurs. Jonan, you and I now as Senator Steve Huffman from the Tips City area.
I love Tip City things a little north of Dayton, and he's one of the great senators in the state of Ohio. As you may know. By midnight last night, the governor VETOED sixty seven, the all time high vetos inside the omnibus spending package for the next two years. And now the House and the Senate's got to decide if they can override the veto and Joan, you and I now are Senator Steve Huffman and Senator welcome again to the bill. Cunningham shows just procedurally here we are
a little bit a little bit afternoon on Tuesday. How much time do you have to override the veto? Can they be overridden? Give the American people a full report.
Well, the Constitution says that any VITA override has to originate in the chamber that the bill originated in. So this was is a House bill, House Bill ninety six, So the House has to initiate any veto override and it can go to the end of this General Assembly. So till the Mike d Wines last day in twenty six, the December thirty first, twenty six, we could override that detO. So we got a year and a.
Half, you got plenty of So there's no emergency this morning, this afternoon, tonight, tomorrow morning. There's no emergency.
That is correct. It is just making good policy and deciding which one of the sixty seven, if any, that we want to overturn.
Well, I understand it takes sixty in the House, twenty in the Senate, which is about a little more than two thirds of each house. The Republicans control everything. Let's talk about specifics. The governor did not veto the part of the unplaim funds that give to the Browns, like six hundred million dollars in order to start a project in southern Cayhua County. The Bengals are kind of left
out from the larch at this point. What is your position, your view as a powerful state senator about the Browns getting that kind of money fund unplaying funds and the Bengals at this point getting nothing.
Well, it doesn't say the Bengals don't get anything. It says it gives them an opportunity in the future going forward to ask for those unplayed funds, and it sets up a set of rules and guidelines that they can or the soccer team or if theaters and other things can also look at getting those funds in the future.
It's kind of like down here though, you're kind of halfway in a sense. But if you're a Bengals fan, as many of us are, we feel as if we're not being treated the same as the Browns. But having dealt with this issue the last couple of weeks, that's not the case correct that the Bengals have the ability to apply. By the way, there's no deal at this point.
I know the media went nuts, but there's an LOI that has about another month ago for the two parties that come together, and at this point there's no deal. So it would be required that the Bengals to County whatever NFL have a deal deal, then go to the state. And so for those who say, wait a minute, you're treating the Bengals unfairly, what would you say.
I would disagree. Like I said, it sets it in motion. The deal in Cincinnati is not fully dated, right the one right, it is fully baked, yes, and it gives opportunities going forward for them.
Who makes the decision. Let's say the deal comes together by I don't know August first, there is a deal, deal and there's a missing three hundred million dollars. I would think that's not a checks in the mail situation. Who actually makes the deal whether to give the Bengals of the county the three hundred and sixty million.
Who makes that decision, I'm not sure, but I believe it's the Department of Commerce that would make sure that all the ducks are in a row and everything's in line to make that decision, and then it would ultimately go to the Controlling Board for approval.
All right, So let's deal with the flat tax. If you make twenty six thousand dollars a year or less, you pay no state income tax. In fact, if you make one hundred thousand dollars a year, on the first twenty six thousand you pay zero, and then after that it's a flat tax. And the governor did not veto last night the flat tax. Do you like that idea or not?
Well, I introduced that bill six years ago, I think in every General Assembly since. So yes, I like that. It gives about one point four billion dollars in tax relief. And I know what people are going to say that you know it's for the rich. But this is the next step to progress to a zero tax, to start marching that two point seventy five down every two years in the budget un till we can get to zero.
Let's deal with the issue of the real estate taxes with so many in our community is very concerned about and I'm sure in Miami County the same situation is true, that people are outraged about the evaluations of their property and the fact that every time they turn around, it's an in co it or an implicit value they have
they don't have in their hands. So if you have a home worth two hundred thousand dollars and the county comes in and says every three years and now it's worth three hundred thousand dollars, you might say, well, where's the where's my one undred thousand dollars? I don't have the money. It's in co it, it's implicit, it's a passive thing. I don't have the money. I haven't sold it.
And so when the real estate tax thing gets on the ballot, which likely will be next May, I believe I don't think they'll have time get the signatures by November. And there's a two line entry should we eliminate state real estate taxes? Most people are going to vote yes. And if that happens, now we've got a crisis. And so this is somewhat speculative. If it gets on the ballot, which I think well, I'm not going to sign the petition. I'm going to encourage people not to sign it. But
if they do, so be it. If the state eliminates real estate taxes and the state eliminates state income taxes, one might say, where do we get the money to run government?
I agree, and I agree with you. I'm not going to support to getting rid of that ballot initiative. And you know, a couple of weeks ago, you had Representative Thomas on and I was listening, and you found it found it hard not to laugh when you got to the point he said, well, what's the local sales tax going to look like? And he said eighteen to twenty percent? And you found it hard to keep your emotions and you felt that was so funny.
So well, the reason it's bad is that because we're a border community, and Miami County Little is not too far from Indiana. But here in Cincinnati, I'm as close to Covington as I am the King's Island. I can just go to Covington and buy a car, by furniture, do my commerce in Covington. I don't have to. I don't have to buy anything in Hamlin County.
I agree, and that's why I don't think that it will pass. But we do need to get property tax relief. And you know what the governor vetoed here. So it started in the House in the Senate at thirty percent, and the Senate said, no, it's fifty percent. That a school district can only have thirty forty fifty percent of their operating on cash. There's school districts out there that carry one hundred, one hundred and twenty five hundred and
fifty percent in cash. And you know, there was one one school board member testified in the Senate and said, you know, we made eight million dollars in interest last year in the cash sitting in the bank. And the senator asked them, so shouldn't that interest go back to the tax payers? Can't they have it in their bank account? And to me, that's really powerful to say, why are
you hoarding all this money? And there's sometimes good readings to put a new rough on and pay cash or build a new building or something, and the bill would have allowed for that, but just for these schools to hoard billions and billions of dollars when we could provide tax relief. Bitta Vita, I think that is more likely one of the very first one that's that's going to get getting overhead. And when we come back in September.
For those who may not be inside baseball, the bill allows for forty percent carry over. Anything more than that, which means that, let's the school district budget to say, just come up with, say ten million dollars a year, and they collect fourteen million dollars from the taxpayers. They put the four million dollars into a savings account, and they spend the ten million, and then that forty percent,
that four million dollars is sitting out there. Then the next year they spend another ten million dollars, they collect fourteen Suddenly they have eight million dollars in the savings account. And I think Senator Huffman, your point is why not return that eight million dollars to the taxpayer instead of getting into a savings account. And you and the lawmakers said, okay, the most can carry over is forty percent, no more than that. There are some districts they carry over one
hundred percent. And the governor vetoed that, which means that you're pretty sure you can override that veto and restrain these school boards at forty percent. Is that correct?
Yeah, But we also put in there that you can put money in a special fund for a capital improvement, so that you know you need a new world and you want to pay cash, you can start storing some money in that special accounts and be able to do that, and you know that rewards, you know, you know, financially smart school districts that need things and don't want to go to the voters and go get a new levee to pay for that that new rough or other things.
I live in a community with fourteen special levees. Hamil in the County has fourteen special levees for everything from mentally retarded to which is a term they use, not me, those are mentally challenged. Also, the welcome wagon, the food. We have an indignt levy at UC Medical Center. We have free lawyers, we have free doctors. We also have library funds and the zoo fund, and senior citizens, a
welcome We got everything going on. And I think if you're in Miami County, for example, you may not have all these special levees. We have them here. Now let's get on to hamp in marijuana. There were many concerns over the last several months. That's certain of these so called CBD products are being sold in like service stations are being sold, popping up everywhere by him CBD, et cetera, these pills, all that kind of stuff. And you have a bill. What's the status of your hemp CBD bill?
Well, so it goes along with marijuana. Senate Bill fifty six that the Senate passed out was to kind of reform some of those things. Public consumption, driving, smoking in a moving vehicle was fifty six eighty six. Senabel eighty six was all about himp passingusly out of the Senate two two and a half months ago, and sitting in the House in the House in there with and tried to combine the two and I thought we had an
agreement on hemp. We hadn't talked about it in a couple of months, and we were hashing out the final details of the marijuana and last week they were scheduled for a vote.
And they've.
Figured out they didn't have the votes because about fifteen members twenty members of the Republican TALKUS feels that there's a different direction to go in, meaning that the Senate bill would put camp products that are intoxicating than dispensaries because they're intoxicating, right, And these house members felt that it would be better to leave in the retail stores with a verification of twenty one and over all.
Right, so that's still pending. Let's talk about public consumption marijuana. I've had many complaint, especially in Cincinnati, walking around Washington Park where my family has deep inroads into the soil in Washington Park, Cincinnati, publicly consuming marijuana. It happens all the time. I don't know about your neck of the woods, but in urban areas behind if you're behind a car with the windows open, you smell it. You can be in a restaurant somebody walks in and you smell it.
You can walk around downtown Cincinnati smoking openly marijuana, no problem whatsoever. No police stay a damn thing. So the argument about public consumption is that a canard. Is it something that's real because you can't allegedly publicly consume it now, but it's not enforced. And I don't know why I have a law if law makers and the police refuse to enforce a known law because it's that their political
leadership tell them not to do it. We live in a city where the mayor and the city manager both tell the police do not enforce certain laws. Isn't that the recipe for chaos?
It's certainly, it certainly is. And I agree with you that. To me, I don't care if you public consume a gummy bear or a brownie. It doesn't affect me. It doesn't affect the children. But the combustion one and the smell of it and everything like that. And to explain to your small children what marijuana is and what it's doing, I think is bad. And so you know eighty six is you could only do it on your private premise, in your house, in your backyard.
Sure, if you're an adult, but do it privately. And another thing, you're a doctor. You're a physician, Medical College of Ohio, University of Toledo. I got my law degree there. And there's just a sense that there's a breakdown of law and order. That broken windows theory applied to New York City. And I see our major cities collapsing, and I don't think we can have a great nation if we have ten to twenty the largest cities in this country are in complete collapse with riots and open air
drug use, fornication, urination, defecation, we have homeless encampments. Just philosophically, I mean, you're kind of a small town guy, and I look around at Washington, DC, or New York or Chicago, Los Angeles, and I look at these magnificent, opulent cities and collapse, and I'm thinking, can we be a great nation with no major functioning city? These uh currently that that have good public schools and there's lots of jobs available for those who want to work. Law enforcement is
out there doing their job. Just as a father and as a as a physician, do you have long term concern about the status of this country with our major cities and collapse.
No, I agree, especially with the major cities, and you know, and I think it's it's it's local failure of local government officials. I mean, I think, especially here in the state of Ohio, from the overall, from the state standpoint, you know, making good policy, but I think often those cities are are are are it's it's poor policy from the local officials, from from the mayorage to the city councils that give direction to the police officers. Don't arrest
these people, don't don't enforce these laws. Or uh, different things like that.
So it's not good, but all right, we got to run. But I'm kind of surprised to learn you had about a year and a half to override Vetos. That's a long time in practicality. Shouldn't it happen the next thirty days so we know the direction of the state the next two years.
We're not gonna it certainly won't happen in the next thirty I don't think we're gonna call special session. We're not scheduled to go back till after Labor Day. I would expect that at the least September and October. Whatever we're gonna override, we're gonna, we're gonna do. We're not gonna Knowing my cousin Matt, he doesn't like things to faster, and we'll come back. We'll initiate the veto override and first thing in September early October, and we'll be done
with it. But we'll see what happens.
All right, Senator Steve Huffman of Tips City, et cetera, And thanks for coming on the Bill Cunningham Show, and have a great Fourth of July weekend coming up. Thank you, Senator. All right Billy Cunning in the Great America. Let's continue now writes, baseball kicks off about six oh five tonight, and hopefully the Red starting pitcher will not tip his pitches. On news radio seven hundred ww