LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS AGENDA--Ohio Legislative Black Caucus President Barbara Sykes, D-Akron, gestures as he speaks during a news conference outlining the group's legislative agenda, for the 125th General Assembly, in the George Washington Williams room, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, Feb. 10 , 2003. Also seen, from left: Sen. C.J. Prentiss, D-Cleveland; Rep. Fred Strahorn, D-Dayton, Rep. Barbara Sykes, D-Akron; Rep. Edna Brown, D-Toledo; Rep. Dixie Allen, D-Dayton; Sen. Mark Mallory, D-Cincinnati; Rep. Claudette Woodard, D-Cleveland Heights; Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus; and Rep. Larry Price, D-Columbus. (Jack Kustron/Photoj.com)

CODE WHITE--With the rest of the nation under a Code Orange alert; this statue titled Spirit of '98 stands guard in the snow outside the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, Feb. 10, 2003. The statue honors those who served the the Spanish-American War, 1898-1902. (Jack Kustron/Photoj.com)

LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS AGENDA--Ohio Legislative Black Caucus member Rep. Larry Price, D-Columbus, speaks during a news conference outlining the group's legislative agenda, for the 125th General Assembly, in the George Washington Williams room, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, Feb. 10 , 2003. Behind Rep. Price is a bust of George Washington Williams, who served as the first African-American to serve in the Ohio General Assembly. (Jack Kustron/Photoj.com)

LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS AGENDA--Ohio Legislative Black Caucus past-president Sen. C.J.Prentiss, D-Cleveland, gestures as she speaks during a news conference outlining the group's legislative agenda, for the 125th General Assembly, in the George Washington Williams room, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, Feb. 10 , 2003. Also seen are Sen. Mark Mallory, D-Cincinnati, and Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus. (Jack Kustron/Photoj.com)

LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS AGENDA--House Minority Leader Chris Redfern, D-Port Clinton, seated, attends a news conference by the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC) which outlined the group's legislative agenda, for the 125th General Assembly, in the George Washington Williams room, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, Feb. 10 , 2003. Also seen are, from left: Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus; OLBC president Rep. Barbara Sykes, D-Akron; and Sen. Mark Mallory, D-Cincinnati. (Jack Kustron/Photoj.com)