Ohio Bonds for Public Schools and Higher Education Institutions Amendment (May 1998)

Ohio Bonds for Public Schools and Higher Education Institutions Amendment
Election date May 5, 1998
Topic Bond issues and Education
Status Defeated
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Ohio Bonds for Public Schools and Higher Education Institutions Amendment was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Ohio on May 5, 1998. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported authorizing the state to issue bonds to finance capital facilities of local public-school districts and state-supported and state-assisted institutions of higher education.

A "no" vote opposed authorizing the state to issue bonds to finance capital facilities of local public-school districts and state-supported and state-assisted institutions of higher education.

Election results

Ohio Bonds for Public Schools and Higher Education Institutions Amendment
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		708,439	39.31%
No		1,093,570	60.69%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Bonds for Public Schools and Higher Education Institutions Amendment was as follows:

“

Authorize the state to issue bonds and other obligations in order to pay costs of facilities for a system of common schools throughout the state and for state-supported and state assisted institutions of higher education, including costs of acquisition, construction, improvement, expansion, planning and equipping facilities. Provide that these obligations will be general obligations of the state, backed by the full faith and credit, revenue and taxing power of the state. Provide that no direct obligations of the state, including obligations referred to above, may be issued if the amount required for future fiscal year debt service on state direct obligations to be paid from the state general revenue fund or net lottery proceeds would exceed five percent of the total expenditures of the state from the general revenue fund and net lottery proceeds during the fiscal year immediately preceding the issuance. An affirmative vote of at least three-fifths of the members of each house of the general assembly may waive the five percent limitation as to a particular issue or amount. Provide that net state lottery proceeds may be pledged or used for payment of debt service on obligations issued to pay costs of facilities for a system of common schools, but not for debt service on obligations issued to pay costs of facilities for higher education institutions. Provide that the general assembly shall provide by law for computing the amounts required for payment of debt service, and may provide for estimating payments of debt service on bonds anticipated by notes. The certification of the governor or the governor's representative of the fiscal year expenditures, amount required to be applied for debt service, and other fiscal matters shall be conclusive for the purpose of the validity of any obligations issued. If adopted, this amendment shall take immediate effect. Shall the proposed amendment be adopted? ”

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Ohio Constitution

A 60% vote is required during one legislative session for the Ohio State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 60 votes in the Ohio House of Representatives and 20 votes in the Ohio State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

See also

1998 Measures

• 1998 Measures
• Education on the ballot
• Bond issues on the ballot
• 1998 legislative sessions

Ohio

• Ohio ballot measures
• Ohio ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Cleveland State University Law Library, "Ohio Constitution - Law and History: Table of Proposed Amendments," June 2, 2023