Shortly before midnight, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed the state’s two-year budget, including an income tax cut for high earners and $600 million for the Cleveland Browns’ new domed stadium.
But DeWine vetoed 67 items in the spending bill and rejected lawmakers’ plan to limit how much money school districts could carry over to 40%. His June 30 vetoes also included changes to how the mill floor is calculated, a prohibition on local governments and school districts levying certain taxes and a requirement that candidates for local school board races be identified with partisan labels on the ballot.
DeWine also axed educational savings accounts for students who attend non-chartered, religious schools. He cited the example of Bishop Sycamore, which pretended to have an elite football program in Columbus but was later found to be a scam.
“Without proper accountability, this item would risk taxpayer dollars on programs that may have compromised educational quality or that could risk student safety,” he wrote.
This budget marked the largest number of vetoes DeWine has issued since becoming governor in 2019. His previous record was 44 vetoes in 2023.
“We always look to see what we think the Legislature will do. I feel strongly about the vetoes I issued. But we have a constitutional process,” DeWine said at a July 1 press conference at the Ohio Statehouse.
DeWine also vetoed several culture war items in the budget. He rejected a provision that would’ve forced public libraries to keep materials on sexual orientation and gender identity away from patrons under age 18. The governor said Ohio’s existing anti-obscenity laws can be enforced to keep inappropriate materials from children.
DeWine vetoed language that would have cut funding for homeless shelters “that promote or affirm social gender transition.” In his veto message, DeWine wrote: “The reality is that a homeless child has been through a horrible experience and likely needs to be met where that child is at emotionally.”
DeWine signs income tax cut, $600M for Browns stadium into law
DeWine did sign off on GOP lawmakers’ plan to pay for sports stadiums with Ohioans’ unclaimed funds — a maneuver that Democrats and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost opposed.
“This is a win for taxpayers, and it will provide significant money to things that improve the quality of life in Ohio,” DeWine said of the stadium money.
DeWine also kept an income tax cut for Ohioans earning more than $100,000. Under the change, all residents making at least $26,051 would be taxed at 2.75%. The cut would cost the state about $1 billion in lost revenue. Previously, DeWine said an income tax cut wasn’t necessary to bring business to the state.
Under the proposed two-year budget, Ohio would spend more than $8 billion each year on K-12 public schools and spend $54 million each year to reward high-performing school districts.
DeWine kept a trigger to eliminate Medicaid coverage for about 770,000 low-income adults if the federal government stops covering at least 90% of the benefits’ cost. Other changes would take a step toward banning Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for pop and sugar-sweetened beverages.
DeWine said he supports banning the use of food stamps for pop but rejected some wording that he believed was too restrictive.
DeWine vetoed 67 items in the two-year budget. What did he change?
DeWine vetoed several other items:
Lawmakers can override DeWine’s vetoes with a vote of three-fifths of legislators in each chamber. Republican legislators have rejected DeWine’s vetoes before when they reinstated a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
Reporter Haley BeMiller contributed to this article.
State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@gannett.com or @jbalmert on X.
(This story was updated to add photos.)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Gov. DeWine signs two-year budget, including income tax cut, $600M for Browns stadium
Reporting by Jessie Balmert and Laura A. Bischoff, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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