Biennial budget lauded by State Republicans, denounced by Democrats

The state's $60 billion operating budget is either cruel and chaotic or protects fiscal responsibility and freedom — the wide range in points of view fell along party lines Wednesday. The Ohio House of Representatives approved the bill by a vote of 59-38 on Wednesday, entirely along party lines. It passed by a 23-10 vote in the Ohio Senate, the Statehouse News Bureau reported. "The State Operating Budget protects freedom, family, and fiscal responsibility — approving historic property tax relief for Ohioans, implementing a flat tax rate, and providing a record amount of state funding for school districts," Ohio House Republicans wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. In contrast, the Ohio Democratic Party was highly critical of the way the budget was passed and what was in it. The party said the two-year budget is the first state operating budget in more than a decade to pass without a single Democratic vote in support and called it "one of the most immoral in Ohio history." State Rep. Joe Miller, D-Amherst, was one of those "no" votes Wednesday. In a news release, he cited "cruel and chaotic cuts and its abject failure to invest in children, public education, health care and basic services — all while shoveling billions to the wealthy and well-connected." "Every two years the State Operating Budget is an opportunity to show Ohioans the direction that the General Assembly wants to take the state in the future. Unfortunately, the majority has chosen to gut public schools, lower quality standards for community schools, cut Medicaid for seniors and children and reduce H2Ohio funding for our farmers, among many other cuts. I voted no on the budget today as (neither) I, nor my constituents, share the majority party's vision for Ohio's future," Miller said in the news release. "This budget fails four out of five Ohioans, while giving tax breaks to the very top and shifting the tax burden to local communities. The wealthiest few are winning with this budget, at the expense of hardworking Ohio families," he said. Ohio House Democrats further called the budget "an income tax scam for the ultra-wealthy." It guts public school funding, forces school districts to put more property tax levies on the ballot, opens fewer child care slots for working Ohio parents and families and jeopardizes access to health care, they said in a series of news releases. "Make no mistake — this is a Republican budget with an agenda clearly outlined to reward the wealthy and well-connected through tax credits, vouchers, and the giving of funds to sports facility owners using Ohioans' unclaimed funds, without requiring the wealthy to pay their fair share," Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, said in a news release. Not so, said Ohio House Republicans: The budget invests $700 million in public schools over two years, delivers "historic" tax relief starting in 2026 with a flat income tax and champions "conservative values" including fiscal responsibility, "the sanctity of life" and school choice, they said in their X post. Messages seeking comment on the budget were left for state Rep. Gayle Manning, R-Avon; state Rep. Kellie Deeter, R-Norwalk; and state Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, all of whom also represent Lorain County or portions of it in the Ohio General Assembly. The County Commissioners Association of Ohio, or CCAO, praised the budget as prioritizing support for Ohio's counties. "The operating budget passed out of the Ohio General Assembly (Wednesday) prioritizes support to counties for public safety, child welfare placements both in terms of funding and cost transparency, and more," CCAO President and Clermont County Commissioner David Painter said in a news release. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.