SpringfieldNewsSun.com

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, a Republican lawmaker from Wisconsin, last week introduced yet another measure that would call for earmark reform, including a moratorium on earmarks. Under his bill, lawmakers would take a break on requesting earmarks while a commission studied their use. Ryan's bill would also suspend the gas tax and offset the loss of that money to federal revenue by not spending money on earmarks.

His bill is the latest attempt by House Republicans to call attention to the earmark process — an issue where the region's three Republican lawmakers hold disparate opinions.

Rep. John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., the House minority leader and a cosponsor of the Ryan measure, endorses earmark reform and is in the process of trying to force the House to vote on a measure that would implement such a moratorium. He does not request earmarks and hasn't for the entirety of his congressional career.

"The earmark process in Congress has become a symbol of a broken Washington," said his spokeswoman, Jessica Towhey. "While families struggle with rising costs of living, politicians are wasting money on pork-barrel projects we don't need."

Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, is gunning for a spot on the House Appropriations Committee next year and has touted earmarks he's garnered for the region. He sees them as a necessity to his district, which includes Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. But he was among those to sign onto a bill that would reform the earmark system.

Rep. David Hobson, R-Springfield, is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, and the only reform he really advocates is disclosure of earmarks.

Hobson signed on to the Boehner petition to force Democrats to vote on a bill for an earmark moratorium, but he calls that move "a political statement."

"Earmarks are being blown out of proportion," he said.

Turner's stance, on its face, begs the most questions: Why ban earmarks if you want them?

But he argues that reforming the process will only make it easier for Dayton to get federal dollars in the future.

The stance has caused Patrick McHugh, the campaign manager for Turner's Democratic opponent, Jane Mitakides, to raise his eyebrows. "This area right now is in trouble," he said. "People are losing jobs, they're losing homes. ... We need someone in Congress with a strong voice to get resources into the community." He said Mitakides opposes

a moratorium but believes in additional transparency in the system.

But Turner touts Dayton's system of getting earmarks — each year the Dayton Development Coalition and its members gather to determine what to request in an open process — as the sort of transparent, open system that the federal government can learn from.

The moratorium, he stressed, would not likely be this year, but whenever the commission convened.

"If we don't reform the system, it won't regain credibility," he said. "And that's a greater risk to us in the long run."

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