Latest news with #OhioHouseFinanceCommittee
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Air travel, passenger rail among focal points of Ohio transportation budget
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Billions of dollars are going to be spent in the state's two-year transportation budget, and lawmakers are working to decide where all that money goes. 'Even if you don't drive a car, you benefit from good roads and bridges and things like that,' Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said. 'I think it was both parties coming together and deciding to focus on Ohioans, what their needs are, not particular parties or controversial items,' ranking member of the Ohio House Finance Committee Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) said. Ohio Intel plant construction in New Albany delayed by at least three years There are still different views on how funds should be spent. Some of it is straight forward, like about $30 million, over two years, to highway safety. 'We're sharpening our pencil and we're trying to say we're not going to spend funds that we don't have to,' Chair of the Ohio House Finance Committee Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said. Some of the money is going toward what lawmakers call innovation, including a new Division of Advanced Air Mobility. Representative Bernie Willis (R-Springfield) chairs the Ohio House Transportation Committee. He said a lot of people don't know this, but there are already things like charging stations for electric aircrafts at airports across the state. This division will help build on that momentum. 'These things are happening. They're active,' Willis said. 'And we want to be well ahead of this. And I think this is just a start to try to get the kind of infrastructure support we want for those airports.' Another new initiative called the Airport Improvement Program will get an estimated $5 million worth of the aircraft fuel sales tax. 'A large amount of dollars toward what are some really large projects at our airports that have been languishing,' Willis. Bill would create savings accounts for students attending private religious schools Passenger rail is also back in play. This version of the transportation budget puts $50,000 dollars, between two years, toward any costs that may be associated with Ohio rejoining the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact. 'There [are] folks like me who are less interested in talking about the train and other members who are not. So, I think, again, we're trying to come to a product that all members can support,' Stewart said. 'Let's at least take a baby step here, let's dip our toe in the water and see what we think.' The compact does things like advocate for passenger rail funding. Willis said since Ohio left the compact in 2013, attitudes toward mass transit have changed in the state. 'I think everyone's mindset of what does mass transit look like and what are all the modes that we can get and how do we reduce the volume that we already have on our streets and roads? I think it's just another avenue,' he said. Willis said whether passenger rail is fully included will be a debate, but he is confident it will get to that point. 'I think we're going to get to the point where we will have commercial providers come to us and say, 'the business case is there and we're willing to run that for you,'' Willis said. 'And then it becomes something that's great for those who have disabilities and have limited mobility. I think the passenger rail opens up a lot of opportunities for a lot of people.' The bill also creates new driver's license requirements. It would change the law for someone applying for a limited term driver's license, which is generally a noncitizen with legal status in Ohio. 'We're going to require them to do what other new drivers have to do in the state of Ohio, which is have in-person experience behind the wheel of 50 hours and also take in-person driver's training,' Stewart said. 'We can't have folks coming here who have no experience with automobiles and walking out in the day behind the wheel.' While the bill was bipartisan and did not have a single vote against it in the House, Sweeney said they also missed out on something. The Ohio Department of Transportation advocated for a gas tax increase, but Stewart said there is 'no appetite,' for that. 'We're able to meet the needs of Ohio's infrastructure today. But if you talk to the [Ohio Department of Transportation], they say that we are looking at a $300 million hole to meet the transportation needs in the near future,' she said. The $11.5 billion spending bill passed the Ohio House unanimously on Wednesday and is now in the Ohio Senate for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio House begins discussions of state education budget proposed by governor
Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Director Stephen Dackin speaks to the Ohio House Finance Committee on a new education operating budget. Photo courtesy of Ideastream/The Ohio Channel Hearings have begun in the Ohio House Finance Committee to dissect Gov. Mike DeWine's executive budget proposal, including a lengthy discussion on Thursday with regard to the education provisions included in it. 'This budget takes the next steps toward fulfilling our key policy priorities,' said Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Director Stephen Dackin. DeWine's proposal recommends $12.4 billion in funding to state schools in fiscal year 2026, and another $12.6 billion in 2027. That recommendation includes the final two years of a public school full fair funding formula that has been a point of contention for legislative leaders, particularly House Speaker Matt Huffman, who has called the funding model 'unsustainable.' The governor's proposal also gives community schools an increase in per-pupil funding and 'continues access to Ohio's five scholarship programs,' including the state's private school voucher program. Many members of the House Finance Committee asked about the foundational funding for state school districts, for which the executive budget recommends a state share of 35%, with no adjustment for inflation to the 'inputs' of the education costs in the formula. Some Republicans on the committee questioned the continued use of the Cupp-Patterson funding formula (also called the Fair School Funding Plan), along with the burden of property taxes in their districts used to pay for schools. 'The school funding formula is inadequate and it's inequitable,' claimed state Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Twp. 'We do not award the merit of outcomes in the funding formula.' While Dackin said he is 'a fan of performance-based funding,' he reemphasized comments DeWine made about the overall budget when he introduced it: that the document was a starting point from which to build the final budget, with room for adjustments. Dackin also pushed back on concerns from Democratic members about a lack of oversight for private schools receiving significant state monies compared with the oversight public schools receive. 'The concern for a lot of people is, what are we getting for those dollars, because we have very little oversight in how that money is being used at these schools,' said House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington. Dackin said there is 'some measure' for schools accepting scholarship money, but he has a higher measure that he takes into account. 'Every day, parents make a decision where to send their kids, and parents make decisions based on a variety of issues,' Dackin told the committee. 'The ultimate accountability is where the parents send their kids.' Literacy is a main tenet of the governor's education proposal, with objectives that included continuing the ReadOhio program and implementation of an Ohio Literacy Coaching Model by the Department of Education and Workforce, and further training on the Science of Reading model. 'The department supports the use of high-quality core and intervention instructional materials, provides educator professional development and supports literary coaches who provide targeted support to schools and districts,' the budget document states. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The executive budget notes nearly 72,000 teachers and administrators have completed one of six 'Science of Reading Professional Development pathways' as of Jan. 15 of this year, and 84 'literary coaches' were used during the 2024-2025 school year in 93 school districts in Ohio. Dackin told the finance committee reading is a 'lynchpin skill' that is vital to successful outcomes for Ohio's students. 'I feel like that is our moral obligation as adults, to make sure that (bad outcomes don't) happen in Ohio,' Dackin said. 'I see no reason why Ohio can't lead the country in literacy rates, zero.' The science of reading is also a priority in executive budget proposals for the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. DeWine noted a goal to improve state kindergarten readiness through a 40% increase in the number of children in licensed early care and education settings 'with a curriculum aligned to the science of reading and early learning and development standards,' according to the budget document. Included in the plans from the governor to increase the numbers is the expansion of the Childcare Choice Voucher Program. A spokesperson for the governor did not elaborate on what would be expanded about the program, but a representative of the Department of Children and Youth said the program currently uses monthly payments directly to approved licensed child care providers. Families apply for the voucher through their local county Job and Family Services Department, and eligibility for the program is determined by income, family size, and job or education status. Families with children enrolled in licensed child care programs and monthly incomes between 146% and 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible for the voucher program, according to Kari Akins, of the children and youth department. For a family of four, that's between $45,552 and $62,400 a year. Legislators brought up a possible federal issue during the discussions of the executive budget: whether the U.S. Department of Education will be able to provide the usual funding, or whether the department will even exist in the near future, based on President Donald Trump's potential executive order and comments that he plans to dismantle the department. 'We hear occasionally, from time to time in the news that there might be consideration in Washington, D.C., to change the (U.S.) Department of Education,' said state Rep. Adam Bird, R-New Richmond. 'I'm curious as to whether you've heard whether any changes to the U.S. Department of Education might come with changes to funding for Ohio schools.' Dackin had a simple answer to the committee. 'We don't know, to be honest,' Dackin said. 'We've received no guidance at this point, no direction from the US DOE on anything related to funding.' Prior to the budget discussion, Dackin joined education administrators from 10 other states in a Jan. 28 letter to 'Administrator McMahon,' seemingly the currently-unconfirmed Trump nominee for Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, asking the new administration to 'prioritize … policies that trust and empower state educational agencies to shape education systems that meet the unique needs of their students.' Those priorities include state control of education funds and 'guidance aligned with congressional intent that defers to state law and policy,' according to the letter, provided by the the Department of Education and Workforce. 'We know that the department must work with Congress to achieve many of these changes to (the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) but, in the meantime, please defer to state and local decision-making as much as possible in your actions,' stated the letter, signed by Dackin and administrators from North Dakota, Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, Florida, Utah, Mississippi, Indiana, Arkansas, Iowa and South Carolina. The executive budget will continue through hearings in education and finance committees within the Ohio House before a legislative budget document is created, and the Ohio Senate begins its own consideration. A final budget is due by July. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Frustration mounts as Ohio statehouse tackles property tax relief
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The start of another year means lawmakers lay out their priorities and like the last two years, which yielded little relief, leaders said property tax relief is at the top of their lists, but some Ohioans are growing frustrated and worried. 'I just wanted to stay in my house in a quiet way,' central Ohio homeowner Janice Beaty said. Beaty, 86, has owned her home for 45 years. Her husband died 10 years ago, so now she is living on a single fixed income of about $3,700 a month. Columbus schools, state clash on Ohio 'bathroom ban' 'I am on Social Security,' she said. 'And they gave me an increase this year; $50 didn't go very far.' With a fixed income, a combination of her pension and social security, her rising property taxes are a point of stress. 'I think it has gone up two or three times in the past few years,' she said. 'I managed to pay the taxes, the last taxes it got. But it's going to come up again.' And that's not all she has to pay: she said things like car payments, new glasses, utilities, and everyday necessities stack up. 'I'm over 80 and not in a good position to go out and work anymore,' she said. Ohio lawmakers not likely to consider gun reform after New Albany shooting Beaty said that like many of her friends, she gets offers to sell her home; sometimes, she even gets badgered. 'I'd get some money out of it, but I'd lose my house,' she said. 'Pictures on the wall of my kids, my grandkids, and other things that are family possessions.' Even if Beaty sold, she said renting a place in a retirement community is out of her budget, so she is looking to state leaders, like Ohio House Finance Committee Chair Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) for help. 'We've got kind of a big a la carte menu on property taxes,' Stewart said. People protest President Donald Trump, Project 2025 at Ohio Statehouse Right now, the Ohio House Finance Committee is hearing testimony on the state's two-year, multi-billion-dollar budget, but the version they are looking at as introduced by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, which is subject to change, does not have any property tax relief. 'I think the governor's budget probably assumes that we're going to take the lead in doing that,' Stewart said. 'Part of that for this process will be determining what can we what can we afford in the financial situation that we have, a lot of these proposals cost quite a bit of money, but I think there is an appetite to look at property taxes.' Stewart said he 'expect(s) multiple members will prepare and offer amendments relating to property taxes, and if they do, we will give them a lot of consideration.' Meanwhile, Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) has a different idea. When Huffman was asked if he wanted to include relief in the budget, he said, 'I hope not.' 'Because often when everything gets shoved into a budget, we figure out later how it's interacting with each other,' Huffman said. What taxes are increased in proposed Ohio budget? Huffman also does not want one big bill. Lawmakers plan to introduce a series of bills, each one targeting a specific area that needs to be addressed. 'A giant bill has so many complex problems in it, there will be something in it that everybody dislikes,' he said. 'So, let's look at this problem and have people understand why it is a difficult question.' Huffman said it is a 'preferred method' to keep property taxes both separate from the budget, which has a July 1 deadline to pass, and tackle each issue one by one. 'This problem with property taxes has been created over decades,' Huffman said. 'The concept is we are going to peel the onion a little bit at a time is single issue single bill.' The series of property tax bills that Huffman is talking about will be introduced within the next several weeks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
