Ohio: Ohio State Senate, District 15

Candidates

Lorena Lacey, Republican
Ray Miller, Democrat

Issues: Long-Term Care / Home- and Community-Based Care | Predatory Mortgage Lending | Do-Not-Call-List |

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Question

What specific steps would you take to ensure that consumers in need of long term care have access to a full range of services outside of nursing homes? Please state your position on increasing funding for non-institutional long term care services through redirecting resources from nursing home services to home- and community-based services, or providing another realistic source of funding?

AARP Response

Long-term care refers to the comprehensive range of services – including home- and community-based care and nursing home care – that meet the physical, social and emotional needs of persons of all ages with disabilities. Ohio currently has 1.57 million people 65 and older. About 3 in 10 (450,000) experience a long-term disability. By 2050, the over 85 population, those most likely to need long-term care services, will increase from 177,000 to over 1 million. Surveys indicate that most people who need long-term care prefer to remain in their homes.

AARP believes that first and foremost, our system of publicly financed long-term care should support consumer choice for the most appropriate level of services required. In addition, services that provide good value to the taxpayer because they cost less than alternatives and provide high quality care to those served should be encouraged and supported.

Issue	Yes	No	Unclear
Supports expansion of services and funding
Proposes redirecting resources from nursing homes or identifies specific funding sources
Proposes moving towards a system of consumer choices and cost effectiveness

Candidate Response: Lorena Lacey

The candidate was invited to participate in this voter guide, but did not respond by the publishing deadline.

Candidate Response: Ray Miller

Increase financial support to the PASSPORT program. Redirect resources from institutionalized long-term care to community based services. I will have enough courage to say no to the nursing home industry and their lobbyists as they continue to push for institutionalized care. The system is currently imbalanced because legislators have lacked the will and the courage to say no to rate increases and adjustment formulas that have negatively impacted the health care of senior citizens and the financial condition of the state.

Question

Would you support or oppose legislation that would prohibit predatory mortgage lending practices? What other consumer provisions would you propose to protect consumers from predatory and abusive lending practices?

AARP Response

Predatory lending consists of practices that take advantage of persons borrowing money and using their homes to secure the loan. Some common practices are: deceptive marketing tactics, making loans without regard to a borrower’s ability to repay the loan; failing to disclose terms such as balloon payments; and refinancing loans and charging excessive fees each time.

There are few legislative protections in place, consumer protections are weak, and regulations are inadequate. AARP believes stronger legislative authority and enforceable regulations are needed. AARP believes that the Ohio Legislature can and should prove that it is serious about protecting Ohio homeowners from abusive business practices. The Legislature should enact an anti-predatory lending bill with strict prohibitions against abusive lending practices such as requiring a borrower to sign a mandatory arbitration agreement and basing a borrower’s ability to repay a loan on income, and not on the equity in the home.

Issue	Yes	No	Unclear
Supports consumer protections from predatory lending practices
Supports solutions that incorporate more than disclosure or borrower education

Candidate Response: Lorena Lacey

The candidate was invited to participate in this voter guide, but did not respond by the publishing deadline.

Candidate Response: Ray Miller

I am a strong supporter of legislation to prohibit predatory mortgage lending practices and have introduced legislation (HB 281) to outlaw such practices. Loan flipping, exorbitantly high balloon payments and discriminatory lending are only some of the issues addressed in my legislation.

Question

Do you support or oppose a law establishing a statewide, consumer-focused "do not call" list in Ohio?

AARP Response

There is a growing desire among consumers for safeguards against fraud and protections of privacy in telecommunications.

AARP supports the following provisions to protect consumers:

• Consumers should have the right to place their names on a statewide registry at no charge that telephone solicitors must buy before doing business in the state. Consumers should not have to pay for this right;
  
  
• Consumers should be on the list for a minimum of five years without having to renew their registration on the list;
  
  
• Consumers must have the ability to be placed on the list by calling a toll-free number, registering online, sending a fax, or writing into a state office; and,
  
  
• Exemptions from the law must be limited to calls made by businesses with an existing, current, ongoing and voluntary business relationship with the consumer, or calls made for a non-commercial purpose.
  
  

Issue	Yes	No	Unclear
Supports closing loopholes that allow telemarketers to claim an “existing business relationship”
Supports a law that is enforceable and also includes sufficient penalties
Supports consumer’s right to go to court if they believe a telemarketer has violated their rights

Candidate Response: Lorena Lacey

The candidate was invited to participate in this voter guide, but did not respond by the publishing deadline.

Candidate Response: Ray Miller

Again, I am strongly in support of establishing a statewide, consumer-focused “do-not-call” list in Ohio. This kind of legislation is particularly important for senior citizens because of their vulnerability to scam artists and high-pressure sales people. I would welcome the opportunity to work with the AARP in fashioning a sound and comprehensive piece of legislation in this increasingly important area.