Indentured Servitude: Nanny State Style!

Ohio State Representative Sandra Williams (Democrat... Go figure!) has introduced a bill (HB519) that would require Ohio parents to "volunteer" at their children's school at least 13 hours per school year. While that seems well-intentioned on the surface, the fine print is what interests me.

You see, if the parent(s) don't hit their 13 hours of "volunteer time" for the school year:

(F) Not later than the thirtieth day of June of each school year, the superintendent of each school district shall report to the department of education the name and address of each parent who, in that school year, did not complete the requirements of division (B) of this section. The department shall impose a fine of one hundred dollars on each parent reported under this division who does not show good cause as to why the parent was unable to complete the requirements. The department shall send the parent written notification of the fine. The notification shall inform the parent of the following:

So... If you don't put in enough "volunteer time" at your kid's school, you get fined $100. Don't worry, though. If you blow-off the fine the State will just deduct it from your income tax return!

Umm. What?!

While I am a firm believer that today's parents need to be more involved in their children's lives both in and out of school, having the government mandate it smells an awful lot like socialism to me.