Thread: Senator Voinovich, Ohio

Go to Senator Voinovich web page, he has a bill listed on there...about manufacturing jobs leaving Ohio...if he's so strong about this, maybe we can change his mind on this immigration mess.

Since, being from Ohio, now living in Ky., I told him we wanted to move back to Ohio, but it has gotten so bad in small towns with the illegals and crime.....I wasn't sure we would return.

Moosetracks,

I've gone to his webpage and hunted, but cannot find the bill you mentioned in your post. Could you provide a link to this, please?

Thanx,
Pine

Originally Posted by PinestrawGuys

Moosetracks,

I've gone to his webpage and hunted, but cannot find the bill you mentioned in your post. Could you provide a link to this, please?

Thanx,
Pine

Under Siege
The Threats to Manufacturing and How Congress
Must Act to Save This Critical Business Sector
By: Senator George V. Voinovich
As manufacturing is responsible for more
than one quarter of Ohio’s Gross State Product,
the state of our manufacturers—both large and
small—is very important to the well being of
Ohioans. More than one million jobs in Ohio
are a result of manufacturing, with an annual
payroll of more than $45 billion. The
manufacturing sector in Ohio accounts for the
second highest weekly earnings of any
economic sector and supports local
communities and schools with more than $1
billion in corporate franchise and personal
property taxes. Unfortunately, between May,
2000 and July, 2003, Ohio lost 170,000
manufacturing jobs.
Manufacturers have been steadily
improving their efficiency and productivity.
The Labor Department reported in December
that the third quarter of 2003 was the most
productive for manufacturers since 1983.
Investments in training and capital have made
our manufacturing sector the envy of the
world. Despite this, the sector is still burdened
with some tough challenges. Factors outside
the control of manufacturers have presented
them with problems that threaten their
survival. Unfair foreign trade
practices—especially from China,
soaring costs for energy and health
care, and trial attorneys who abuse
our courts in pursuit of a dollar
have come together in the
perfect storm that threatens to
swamp manufacturers.
THE THREATS:
1. Unfair Chinese Trade Practices
Foreign competition from China has
become a primary concern for many
manufacturers. It would be one thing if
American manufacturers faced their Chinese
competitors on a level playing field, but they
do not. Blatant disregard for international law
and significant currency manipulation by the
Chinese government conspire against
American manufacturers who enjoy no such
advantages.
The refusal of the Chinese government to
enforce internationally-accepted intellectual
property rights laws is well known and well
documented. The result has been billions of
dollars in lost revenue for America’s computer
software, entertainment and even auto parts
industries.
Less known, but far more damaging, has
been the Chinese government’s long-term and
persistent effort to deliberately undervalue its
currency to make Chinese-made products
cheaper than those of other countries.
The Chinese government refuses to allow
its currency, the yuan, to trade freely on
international currency markets. Instead, for the
past decade, the Chinese have kept the value
of the yuan unchanged and fixed at an
exchange rate of 8.3 to the dollar. The
President’s Export Council reported that this
practice undervalues the Chinese currency
against the dollar by as much as 40 percent.
The result is that Chinese products imported
to the United States are 40 percent cheaper than
similar American products and that American
products exported to China essentially face a 40
percent tariff.
2. Rising Energy Costs
Of all the challenges facing manufacturers,
perhaps the one they are most powerless to
address is the rising cost of energy. Because so
much of our nation’s energy comes from
overseas, and because so little energy can be
sourced domestically because of overly
restrictive government regulations, solutions to
the problem of rising energy costs remain just
out of reach for manufacturers large and small.
Over the next 20 years our nation’s demand
for energy will increase by 42 percent. Meeting
this demand is essential to maintaining our
nation’s place in the world economy, providing
jobs for Americans, preserving development of
cutting edge technology, and preserving
economic stability.
Oddly enough, at a time when we need to
generate more electricity, some are trying to limit
our choices for generating it. Legislation
introduced by Senators Jim Jeffords (I-VT) and
Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) would essentially
force all electricity generation to switch to
natural gas and away from coal and other energy
sources.
3. Frivolous Lawsuits
In 2002, the American Tort Reform
Association produced a study entitled "Lawsuit
Abuse and Ohio" that captured the impact of
out-of-control litigation on Ohio's economy. It
found that lawsuit abuse costs every Ohioan
$636 per year, and every family of four $2,544
per year. These costs come in the form of goods
and services made more expensive by runaway
jury awards against companies that are able to
evade the bankruptcy that dooms many
companies targeted by litigation.
Since my days as governor of Ohio, I have
been concerned with what I call the “litigation
tornado” that is sweeping through Ohio, as well
as the nation. Ohio’s civil justice system is in a
state of crisis. Ohio doctors are leaving the state
and many have stopped delivering babies
because they can’t afford the liability insurance.
Additionally, many Ohio businesses are going
bankrupt as a result of runaway asbestos
litigation.
In 1996, as governor of Ohio, I was
instrumental in the passage of H.B. 350—strong
tort reform legislation that became law in Ohio,
for a while. It might have helped today’s liability
crisis, but it never got a chance. In 1999, the
Supreme Court of Ohio, in a politically
motivated decision, struck down Ohio’s civil
justice reform law, even though the only plaintiff
in the case was the Ohio Academy of Trial
Lawyers – the personal injury bar’s trade group.
What was their reason for challenging the law?
They claimed their association would lose
members and lose money due to the civil justice
reform laws we enacted.
Now, manufacturers operate without any
protection from trial attorneys and defendants
seeking only one thing: big dollar jury awards.
4. Rising Health Care Costs
Employers are expected to see another
double-digit increase in health care costs in 2004
– the fifth straight year of double-digit growth.
To remain competitive, employers have offered
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valuable health care benefits to their employees
– but at the end of the day, manufacturers are
not in the business of providing health insurance
and these rising costs are threatening their
competitiveness and ultimately their survival.
One of the key contributors to the rise in
health care costs is the rise in medical liability
costs. Doctors are paying more and more for
medical liability insurance because of the lottery
mentality some have toward the civil legal
system. The result is higher medical fees and
reduced access to health care as doctors leave
the practice of medicine or move to states with
lower medical liability costs.
The facts indicate a crisis is out of control:
• Medical Liability Monitor ranked Ohio
among the top five states for premium increases
in 2002.
• OHIC Insurance Co., among the largest
medical liability insurers in the state, reports that
average premiums for Ohio doctors have
doubled over the last three years.
The anecdotal evidence is just as alarming:
• In Columbus an obstetrician has seen
coverage for his two-physician OB-GYN practice
climb to over $100,000 a year. And he expected
his premiums to rise an additional 20-25 percent.
• A geriatrician in Cuyahoga Falls saw his
annual medical liability premium jump $5,700
to $34,000 last year. He had been warned that it
could reach $100,000 this year if he continued
treating patients in nursing homes. In May he
received an unexpected ultimatum from his
insurer and every other carrier he queried: agree
to stop seeing nursing home patients or lose
liability coverage altogether. As a result, 150 of
his patients had to find a new doctor.
• After practicing for 15 years in Cleveland—
their entire careers—a husband and wife team
of doctors decided to leave Ohio to seek refuge
from overwhelming liability premiums. Their
insurance agent warned them that both would
soon be paying $100,000 in annual premiums,
up from $30,000 this year. They resettled in
Wisconsin.
ACTION IS NEEDED NOW
It would be hard enough for a company to
survive one of these assaults, but all four create
a confluence of challenges that have already
doomed many manufacturers and which is
gaining on even the best-run companies. Swift
action is needed on every front to prevent the
loss of a business sector that is crucial to the
economic vitality of entire regions of the nation,
and to our nation’s long-term economic and
national security.
WHAT MUST BE DONE
1. Level the Playing Field with Chinese
Imports
China must immediately stop manipulating
its currency in order to make its products
artificially less expensive than those of other
nations. If it will not agree to do this, then tariffs
should be placed on Chinese imports to put them
on a level playing field with American products.
In September 2003, the Senate called on
China to keep its commitment to move to a
market-based valuation of the yuan, in keeping
with the trade rules and principles of the
modern, industrialized community of nations.
I cosponsored the measure, Senate Resolution
218, which passed on September 25, 2003.
In October 2003, I joined Ohio’s other senator,
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Mike DeWine, and other senators, in writing to
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert
Zoellick asking him to initiate an investigation
under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to
determine whether or not China has been
manipulating its currency. If it has, then the
USTR would work with Chinese trade
authorities to try and remedy the situation. If
an agreement with China could not be reached
then the USTR could file retaliatory tariffs to
adjust for the advantage afforded Chinese
imports by the artificially low yuan in order to
level the playing field for American
manufacturers. A Sense of the Senate resolution
has also been introduced calling on Ambassador
Zoellick to begin a 301 investigation.
In the event that these efforts aren’t
successful and the Chinese continue to refuse to
give up these unfair trade practices, stronger
measures to address the issue could be necessary.
Among them is the Currency Harmonization
Initiative through Neutralizing Action Act of
2003 or CHINA Act, introduced in the U.S.
House of Representatives by Rep. Phil English
(R-PA) and in the U.S. Senate by myself. The
legislation would require the Secretary of the
Treasury to analyze and report to Congress
whether China is manipulating its currency to
achieve an advantage in trade, and to what
degree. If manipulation is found, the Secretary
would be required to levy tariffs equal to the
percentage found and in addition to tariffs
currently in place on Chinese imports.
Pressure on China from the Bush
Administration can also affect change and
manufacturers and Members of Congress have
both reached out to Administration officials
asking for their involvement. I have written to
Treasury Secretary John Snow concerning the
harm that China is doing to American
manufacturers and urged him to get involved. I
also arranged a meeting with Ohio
manufacturers and Commerce Secretary Don
Evans so he could learn first hand about the
difficulties they are facing. I have scheduled
additional hearings and events in the future to
highlight the impact that trade policies, the
enforcement of trade laws, and the work of the
Administration is having on manufacturers.
Additional pressure and attention must be
raised about this problem until the Chinese
abandon their policy of artificially undervaluing
the yuan, the legislation is enacted and the
Administration mounts a dedicated effort to
pressure the Chinese.
2. Keep Energy Costs Low
Every effort should be made to help reduce
the cost of energy by resisting government
policies that would limit energy sources and
thereby drive up energy costs.
Limiting our energy sources and putting all
of our eggs in one basket would only lead to
massive job losses, higher energy costs, and
economic decline—not to mention more
blackouts. Instead we should be finding
environmentally responsible ways to expand the
full range of energy sources: natural gas,
renewables, coal, petroleum and nuclear.
The defeat of the Energy Bill in November
2003 was a significant blow to manufacturing
as the bill would have helped increase our
supply of all types of energy and keep energy
costs low. The bill’s defeat reinforces the urgency
to enact the President’s Clear Skies plan, which
would harmonize our energy and environmental
polices and encourage the development of a
balanced collection of energy sources while
reducing harmful air pollutants by 70 percent.
As chairman of the Subcommittee on Clean Air,
I am one of its main proponents. By setting
realistic timetables for major reductions of power
plant emissions, Clear Skies responsibly balances
energy and environmental needs and keeps
electricity and natural gas supplies affordable
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and reliable for manufacturers. The plan should
be passed and signed into law.
Furthermore, I have worked to overhaul the
outdated New Source Review program, which
mandates that industrial facilities making major
modifications must also install the most up-todate
pollution control equipment.
Clinton-era environmental activism at the US
Environmental Protection Agency led to facilities
being punished for conducting routine
maintenance or installing more efficient
equipment. This departure from the program’s
original intent has led to costly and contentious
litigation and kept companies from making
changes in line with the goal of the Clean Air
Act: cleaning the air. As a result of urging from
me and other members, the Bush EPA, in spite
of criticism from environmental groups, has
promulgated new rules to clarify and end
uncertainty. These rules must be finalized and
put into place.
3. End Frivolous Lawsuits and the Abuse of
the Civil Justice System
For our civil justice system to work we must
strike a balance between the rights of aggrieved
parties with legitimate grievances to navigate the
judicial system and the rights of society to be
protected against frivolous lawsuits and
outrageous, disproportionate judgments made
at the expense of society as a whole. Special
effort must be made to end class action practices
that award consumers worthless coupons and
their lawyers with millions of dollars in legal
fees, and to help keep Ohio businesses from
going bankrupt from runaway asbestos awards
that don’t distinguish between truly sick
workers and healthy plaintiffs only seeking
money.
While reform efforts have been frustrated at
the state level, I have continued the fight for a
fair and strong civil justice system in the United
States Senate. I have worked to enact
meaningful asbestos litigation reform that
ensures that truly sick victims are compensated
without sending more companies into
bankruptcy. I testified twice before the Senate
Judiciary Committee in support of legislation
that would stem the tide of asbestos litigation,
and was an original cosponsor of S.1125, the
Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of
2003, which would establish a system to pay
victims faster, ensure that it is the truly sick
getting paid, and provide the business
community with the stability it needs to protect
jobs and pensions. This legislation must be
passed and signed into law in 2004.
I am also an original cosponsor of the Class
Action Fairness Act of 2003, which is designed
to improve the handling of massive U.S. class
action lawsuits while preserving the rights of
citizens to bring such actions. The bill also
establishes a consumer class action bill of rights
to provide judicial scrutiny of non-cash
settlements, protection against discrimination
based on geographic location, and clearer and
simpler settlement information when sending
out class action notices. This legislation is sorely
needed to help people understand their rights
in class action lawsuits and protect them from
unfair settlements. It was one vote away from
cloture in 2003 and will be brought back to the
floor in 2004. It too must be enacted.
4. Control Health Care Costs
Legislation must be passed to reduce medical
liability costs and the upward pressures they put
on overall health care costs for employers and
consumers.
In order to preserve one of the most
important benefits employers can provide their
employees—health insurance—major changes
are needed to bring health care costs under
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control. Though certainly one of the most
difficult challenges facing manufacturers, the
health care issue is one of the most important to
resolve given that it echoes through so many
areas: the health and well-being of employees
and their families, access to our health care
system, economic stability, and individual
company stability.
Quick action must be taken to enact S. 11,
the Patients First Act which:
• Sets sensible limits on non-economic
damages to help restrain medical liability
premium increases while ensuring unlimited
economic compensation for patients injured by
negligence;
• Limits attorneys’ fees so that money awarded
in court goes to injured parties;
• Mandates that relevant medical experts
testify at trial, as opposed to highly-paid “expert
witnesses” who are often used to influence juries
and foster abuses in the legal system;
• Allows physicians to pay any large
judgments against them over time in order to
avoid bankruptcy; and
• Requires all parties to participate in
alternative dispute resolution proceedings such
as mediation or arbitration before going to court.
5. Give Manufacturers a Dedicated Advocate
in the Executive Branch
Manufacturers need a dedicated advocate in
the Department of Commerce to help identify
issues that require reform in order to help
encourage their survival.
I introduced legislation in June 2003, to create
a new assistant secretary for manufacturing in
the Department that would be charged with: (1)
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representing and advocating for the interests of
the manufacturing sector; (2) aiding in the
development of policies that promote the
expansion of the manufacturing sector; (3)
reviewing policies that may adversely impact the
manufacturing sector; and (4) assisting the
manufacturing sector in other ways as the
Secretary of Commerce shall prescribe.
The President announced that he would
create the position during a speech on Labor Day
in Northeast Ohio. Congress must act quickly
to approve funding for the new position so it
can be established and begin working on behalf
of manufacturers. Accordingly, I have
introduced an amendment to the Commerce
Department’s appropriations bill to pay for the
new position.
CONCLUSION
The challenges which manufacturers are
facing certainly aren’t in short supply. When you
consider what they’re up against—frivolous
lawsuits, high energy and health care costs,
unfair foreign competition, and burdensome
regulations—it’s a testament to their ability and
determination that they’re hanging in there.
They need not suffer under these challenges,
however, when there are sound public policy
solutions available. I am committed to putting
these solutions into place quickly so our
manufacturing industries can get back on the
road to recovery and prosperity—for owners,
workers and our economic and national security.

SO SORRY, had the wrong guy....I've emailed so much, I'm forgetting who said what!

It is Voinovich and under his "policy papers" index.

No wonder I couldn't find it!

Originally Posted by moosetracks

Go to Senator Voinovich web page, he has a bill listed on there...about manufacturing jobs leaving Ohio...if he's so strong about this, maybe we can change his mind on this immigration mess.

Since, being from Ohio, now living in Ky., I told him we wanted to move back to Ohio, but it has gotten so bad in small towns with the illegals and crime.....I wasn't sure we would return.

I have talk to them for the last 8 months. Telling them, average 180,000 jobs created, 3 million illegals. Looks like a large net lose of American Jobs.