Facing a continued housing crisis, House Democrats want to place a six-month moratorium on home foreclosures in Ohio and let judges rewrite mortgage terms if the property is worth less than what is owed.

If it passes, Ohio would have the most progressive foreclosure-prevention law in the nation, Rep. Mike Foley said. The state has the seventh-highest foreclosure rate in the nation, with an estimated 90,000 last year.

"So we're putting up as many roadblocks as possible to give us time to recalibrate and hopefully let the recovery straighten itself out," the Cleveland Democrat said of the bill, which will face strong opposition from the banking industry.

More than a month after taking control of the House, Democrats and Speaker Armond Budish of Beachwood rolled out a wide range of priority bills yesterday, including a ban on marketing credit cards at college campuses, and giving high schools the equipment needed to offer Advanced Placement courses through teleconferencing.

"Too often schools do not have the resources to offer these advanced classes," said Rep. Jennifer Garrison, D-Marietta, estimating the cost at about $6 million.

None of the priority bills will get the symbolic House Bill 1 moniker. Budish said he will make the two-year budget the first bill.

A handful of freshmen Democrats, particularly those holding vulnerable seats, are sponsoring many of the priority bills. Marian Harris, D-Columbus, who won an upset in November and is likely to be a key GOP target in 2010, will introduce three of them.

"They were topics I was definitely interested in," Harris said.

Foley's anti-foreclosure bill drew praise from Bill Faith, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio. He noted that two years ago, state leaders tried to address the housing problem without much success.

"There have been lots of well-intentioned efforts, but the bottom line is we still have record numbers of foreclosures," he said. "Most are not being prevented. So we have to ratchet up."

The bill also would allow those facing eviction to rent until the house is sold, and raise the foreclosure filing fee by $1,500, with money going into funds to help people in foreclosure trouble.

But Michael Adelman, top lobbyist for the Ohio Bankers League, argues the bill would have a "dramatic negative impact" on homeowners and the housing market by creating more uncertainty and risk.

"A six-month moratorium? To do what? You're delaying the foreclosure process further," Adelman said. "It's already a very lengthy, arduous process. I don't know what they're hoping to gain."

He also questions whether it's constitutional to let a judge rewrite mortgage terms.

"Let's make sure Ohioans have the cash flow to meet their monthly financial obligations as opposed to trying to bash the responsible lenders over the head," he said.

jsiegel@dispatch.com