Proposed Budget - Fiscal Years 2024-2025
On January 31, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recommended a two-year budget that totals $103.33 billion in fiscal 2024 (a 3.5 percent increase over fiscal 2023’s appropriated level) and $99.77 billion in fiscal 2025 (a 3.4 percent decline from fiscal 2024’s appropriated level). Much of the decline in fiscal 2025 is due to less federal funds as federal recovery dollars are spent on one-time supports. Spending from the general revenue fund totals $42.30 billion in fiscal 2024 (a 3.7 percent increase over fiscal 2023) and $44.59 billion in fiscal 2025 (a 5.4 percent increase over fiscal 2024). Estimated general fund revenues are projected to be $43.46 billion in fiscal 2024 (a 3.0 percent increase from fiscal 2023’s estimated level) and $45.76 billion in fiscal 2025 (a 5.3 percent increase from fiscal 2025). The budget assumes a general revenue ending balance of $884.4 million in fiscal 2024 and $549.3 million in fiscal 2025. Additionally, the budget stabilization fund ending balance is estimated at $3.57 billion (or 7.8 percent of general revenue funds) at the end of the biennium.
Proposed Budget Highlights
The governor’s “Ohio’s Time” budget focuses on helping children at all stages; investing in people and a strong workforce; supporting communities across the state; and advancing a thriving and innovative economy. In addition, the budget is based on a conservative forecast, is structurally balanced, allocates one-time resources to one-time expenses, and allocates recurring revenues to ongoing priorities. Some of the highlights of the budget proposal include:
Investing in Bold Beginnings
- Early Childhood Development and Support: Establishes a new cabinet agency, the Department of Children and Youth.
- Caring for Kids: Continues the transformation of foster care; provides a one-time adoption assistance payment to adoptive parents; and increases access to quality childcare by raising income eligibility for publicly funded childcare.
- Families: Exempts from sales tax purchases of products that enhance children’s health and safety; provides taxpayers with a $2,500 income tax exemption per child; and provides all eligible children with one free book per month.
- Children’s Healthcare: Expands Medicaid coverage for new and expectant mothers; implements the Maternal Infant and Support Program; grows the Comprehensive Maternal Care program; implements best practices in birthing hospitals; and supports mental health and wellness screening protocol.
- Family Stability: Provides additional funding to Ohio’s evidence-based home visiting program; invests in secure housing for pregnant women; and devotes resources to pregnancy centers and other organizations. Also authorizes funding for tobacco cessation programs for expectant mothers, expands nutrition assistance coordination, invests in Cribs for Kids program, and supports father-child relationships.
Investing in People and Workforce
- Families: Uses one-time federal funding to foster improved quality of life for seniors so they can remain in their homes.
- Mental Health: Provides funding for 988 lifeline; continues critical mental health initiatives; expands access to wellness and recovery services; and improves coordinated community treatment. Also provides funding for Mental Health Support Program in higher education, enhances capacity for court-ordered evaluations, and supports quality housing for Ohioans with mental health and substance use disorders.
- K-12 Education: Increases funding in K-12 school funding formula; expands eligibility for the EdChoice Expansion Scholarship; continues commitment for mental and physical health support for K-12 students; prioritizes literacy; and launches the Ohio Military Veteran Educators Program.
- Ohioans with Disabilities: Ensures technology is part of support plans; supports programs for youth with complex behavioral health needs; and provides additional vocational rehabilitation services.
- College Affordability and Access: Provides additional funding; increases need-based financial assistance; establishes a new merit scholarship to encourage students to stay in Ohio; and launches a Teacher Apprenticeship program.
- Veteran Care: Devotes one-time funds to modernize veteran nursing homes.
Investing in Ohio’s Communities
- Safety and Security: Covers the local cost of the Multi-Agency Radio Communication System; completes the infrastructure for Next Generation 9-1-1; and supports law enforcement professional training.
- Housing Infrastructure: Provides tax credits for the development of low-income multi-family rental housing and affordable single-family housing; and establishes a home ownership savings account.
- Brent Spence Bridge: Includes necessary funding for joint project with Kentucky.
- Strong Local Communities: Increases shared revenue to local partners and supports efforts in indigent defense; quality of life for seniors; anti-human trafficking; reentry initiatives; multimodal transportation; and county jails.
- Protecting Ohio’s Resources: Works to improve the quality of water for all Ohioans; preserve farmland; and address the limited supply of tree seedlings.
Investing in a Thriving Economy
- Economic Development: Establishes a fund to support economic development projects; supports Broadband expansion; and creates new innovation hubs.
- Skilled Workforce: Funds a series of workforce upskilling efforts including in growing industries such as electric vehicles.
- Quality and Affordable Childcare: Creates a childcare scholarship program for critical occupations.
- K-12 Learning Innovation: Includes new career tech grants and computer science funding.
- Innovative Colleges and Universities: Promotes collaboration among institutions as well as strengthens education and training opportunities.
- Health Care Workforce and Care Innovation: Creates a network for mental health research and innovation; includes a Medicaid provider rate package; and expands pediatric behavioral health services and training for behavioral health professionals.
- Information Technology and Cybersecurity: Establishes the Ohio Digital Academy to attract IT talent as well as supports technology security and development efforts.