Ohio AFL-CIO Legislative Update
Biennial Budget
Every two years, the Ohio General Assembly has until July 1st to pass a balanced budget. Over the next five months, legislators will debate spending priorities on everything from local government funding, education, transportation, healthcare, infrastructure, taxes, and everything in between. Governor Mike DeWine laid out his priorities during his state of the state address. The Ohio House has scheduled its first hearing on his proposal for February 7th. We will be watching the following issues closely as they progress:
Fair School Funding Formula (Cupp-Patterson Plan) - We want the legislature to fully implement and fund this plan.
Expansion of private school vouchers – legislators should avoid competing funding obligations for education and focus on schools that 90% of Ohio kids attend, public schools.
Working family and low-income housing tax credits, deductions, and tax policy changes. Any changes should benefit workers over well-connected donors and corporations, while making sure the state maintains adequate funding for our most important assets and services.
Changes to workforce development, economic development, and childcare programs.
House Joint Resolution 1
While our focus will be on the biennial budgets as they move through the legislature, we cannot forget about big picture items: such as Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s plan to change how Ohioans amend the state constitution.
We joined with over 175 organizations to kill this bad bill (known then as HJR 6) during the Lame Duck session last December. However, Rep Brian Stewart and several Republican co-sponsors have filed the bill with the clerk’s office and are awaiting an official introduction. The new version:
Increases the threshold that a Constitutional Amendment must pass by to 60%
Doubles the number of counties that must meet certain minimum signature thresholds
Eliminates the “cure” period if short on signatures
