A measure that would give cash incentives for college graduates to buy a house and live in Ohio is among the priority bills for Senate Republicans over the two-year session.

Senate Bill 5 would create a $2 million annual grant program to provide recent college graduates with down-payment help on the purchase of a home in Ohio.

"If we truly want to get our economy back on track, Ohio cannot afford to lose the next generation of skilled workers to other states," said Sen. Stephen Buehrer, R-Delta, who is sponsoring the bill. "This program will provide an extra incentive for our best and brightest to purchase their own homes and become invested in our communities."

Under the proposal, Ohio residents could register within 60 days of graduating for a lottery that would award 300 grants ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 depending on the level of degree the graduate has earned. Recipients would have one year to use the grant.

Senate President Bill M. Harris, R-Ashland, said the priorities for his members also will focus on job creation and a more business-friendly regulatory environment.

Other priority bills unveiled yesterday:

• A push for quicker spending of the $1.6 billion Ohio job-stimulus bill in areas such as alternative energy, biosciences and logistics. The bill would allocate the remaining $340 million of the stimulus package for 2010-11.

• A spending blueprint for the current federal economic-stimulus package, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Republican lawmakers are concerned that Gov. Ted Strickland will try to spend infrastructure money without going through established channels. "We must move quickly, but not at the expense of transparency, especially as we are talking about such a large expenditure of taxpayer dollars," said Sen. John A. Carey Jr., a Wellston Republican and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

• Regulatory reforms as proposed recently by the Regulatory Reform Task Force. This includes eliminating duplication and adjusting fees.

• Performance audits of regulatory agencies, performed by the state auditor, to gauge their progress in promoting "common sense" business regulation.

jsiegel@dispatch.com

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