Representative Martin recently gave sponsor testimony to members of the House State Government Committee on House Bill 302, which when enacted would stop contractors from purchasing and erecting signs at project sites paid for by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
“Since October, I have urged hearings on this bill in committee and I am pleased that I was finally able to provide sponsor testimony,” Martin said. “With the taxpayers already overburdened by government spending, House Bill 302 is long overdue. The ARRA signs are little more than political propaganda and are a waste of tax dollars. The taxpayers in Ohio and across the country should not be required to fund these signs, especially during this time of economic difficulty.”
The signs cost approximately $1300 each to produce and erect. They are paid for by stimulus dollars and are written into the winning contract, officials say. The total price tag to the State of Ohio could add up to $1 million for the signs reading “Project Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” The Federal Highway Administration did not require the posting of these signs but only recommended it. It was the Ohio Department of Transportation that required them to be posted at projects paid for by stimulus dollars.
“I encourage swift action by the House on this legislation,” Martin said. “Considering Ohio’s budget shortfall and the significant cuts our schools and the elderly have suffered, requiring tax dollars to go towards this propaganda is disgraceful. The people of Ohio are tired of government squandering, and it is time that legislators, both in Columbus and Washington, start listening to the people they were elected to serve.”