This week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine unveiled the initial details of his two-year state budget proposal.

Highlights include:

• A new $1,000 per child (6 and under) tax credit, funded by a $1.50 per pack increase in tobacco taxes.
• Increasing subsidized childcare.
• Expanded school-based healthcare.
• $100 million to increase housing in rural areas.
• $8 million to assist local governments with cybersecurity.
• Increasing the sports gaming tax to 40% (current tax rate is 20%) to fund a new fund for supporting major and minor league sports stadiums and to reduce high school sports/activity fees for students.

The Ohio House began hearings on their version of the budget this week, which will continue until mid-to-late April, after which the Senate will make their own amendments before conferencing on an agreed budget and sending it to DeWine for signature and line-item vetoes.

OMA staff are still analyzing the proposed budget and will have deeper analysis on OMA priorities coming soon.

Be sure to register for the OMA’s Feb. 20th Tax & Finance Committee for an in-depth breakdown on the state budget process and key OMA priorities. 2/5/2025