How Ohio lawmakers want to spend $4.2 billion

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio lawmakers are working on a $4.2 billion spending bill, plus $2 billion of reappropriations. It will fund projects and improvements for things from prisons to pickleball courts.

The bill has been introduced in both the Senate, as Senate Bill 292 and House, as House Bill 629.

The multi-billion-dollar spending bill has a few main parts to it. One is a traditional capital budget that typically passes every two years. That portion makes up $3.5 billion. 

That part of the fund goes towards infrastructure projects like prisons, higher education facilities and state buildings. For example, higher education institutions across the state will receive more than $456 million, $133.5 million dollars will go towards renovations for the six psychiatric hospitals in Ohio and more than $264 million is slated for correctional facilities. 

“It’s really beyond just getting them fixed up, it’s about putting people to work,” Ohio House Finance Chair Representative Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville) said. “A lot of construction jobs, a lot of people employed, it’s great for Ohio’s economy, so we’re putting people to work with this money too.” 

The other large portion of the bill goes towards one-time expenditures, for a variety of projects across the state, totaling $717 million in taxpayer dollars. 

Some of the largest allocations give the Cincinnati Open Tennis tournament $27.5 million dollars, and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra $18.5 million. Smaller projects support things like pickleball courts to the tune of roughly $1.8 million for 13 different projects across the state. 

“There are things in there you like and there’s things in there you scratch your head at,” Representative Daniel Troy (D-Willowick) said. “There are a lot of community projects there and I think some of them are extremely important and extremely beneficial, especially those that assist nonprofits and things like that.” 

Troy said there are some large expenditures, like the $20 million allocation for a land bridge in Downtown Cleveland and $7 million for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that he said may not have been the best use of dollars. 

“At some point I think we need to say, ‘okay we’ve done as much as we can here, you’re kind of on your own.’ I think, on those types of things because it basically eats up a lot of the money,” he said. 

Even with all the spending, the Office of Budget Management said the state is only using 2.56% of its 5% debt limit. So, Troy said he thinks more can be done to support increasing costs of things like construction materials and labor. 

“$150 million bought a heck of a lot more infrastructure ten years ago than it will buy today,” Troy said. 

There are also $2 billion worth of reappropriations in the bill, from allocations in previous capital budgets that went unspent. 

“Because those projects weren’t moving forward, we’ve called that back and put it into this bill,” Edwards said. 

Edwards said because construction season has already started, there is an emergency clause on the bill to help get shovels in the ground as soon as it passes. 

“We would’ve liked to see this get passed earlier in the springtime right ahead of construction season but the fact that we are doing this now is better than never,” he said. 

Both the House and Senate have their final session next week before breaking for the summer, that is when the bill will likely be passed and sent to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk for a signature.