Ohio is urging people to claim their piece of $4.8 billion in unclaimed funds before the state takes control of the money.
The Department of Commerce kickstarted an ad campaign featuring Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel to raise awareness about unclaimed funds. Lawmakers enacted a two-year budget last year that allows the state to seize unclaimed property if it’s not retrieved after 10 years.
The budget also gave $600 million in unclaimed funds to the Cleveland Browns for a new domed stadium in Brook Park and set aside $400 million for other stadium projects. Nationwide Arena is seeking $100 million from the pool for other projects to help pay for a $400-million makeover of the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Cincinnati Bengals’ Paycor Stadium and FC Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium also have requested funding.
Nobody is getting funding any time soon. In March, a Franklin County judge temporarily blocked the state from spending unclaimed funds while a lawsuit plays out.
“It only takes a few minutes to check if there is money that belongs to you or your family,” Tressel said in a statement. “I encourage every Ohioan to visit the website, do a quick search and make sure they aren’t leaving behind something that’s theirs.”
Ohioans can visit unclaimedfunds.ohio.gov to see if they have missing money. The budget included a grace period that gives people until 2036 to claim funds already transferred to the state.
The Division of Unclaimed Funds paid more than 182,000 claims last fiscal year, according to a news release − a 168% increase from the year prior.
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@usatodayco.com or @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio urges people to get unclaimed funds before state takes money
Reporting by Haley BeMiller, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Haley BeMiller, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
