Antonio Sounds Alarm on Budget of Broken Promises

Today, Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) voted against House Bill 96, the Senate Republicans' version of the state operating budget.

“Instead of supporting working families and creating an Ohio that is truly the heart of it all, the Republican majority created a budget filled with broken promises,” said Antonio.

While there are certainly community investments included in this bill, which will benefit economic growth throughout the state, House Bill 96 fails to address the needs of hardworking, everyday Ohioans. The Republican supermajorities in the legislature decimated many of the bipartisan provisions proposed by the governor that would have invested in our children and working families, and have decided to instead:

• Cut taxes for the wealthiest Ohioans by flattening the income tax to 2.75%;
• Underfund our public schools by using outdated inputs and a pay-to-play scheme that ties performance to school funding, while continuing to invest historic amounts of public funds in vouchers for non-public, primarily religious schools;
• Give away $600 million of everyday Ohioans’ unclaimed funds to the billionaire owners of the Cleveland Browns;
• Threaten health care coverage for 770,000 Ohioans and underfund crucial public health programs for moms and babies;
• Attack already marginalized groups by requiring libraries to censor materials related to “gender identity or sexual orientation” and erase diversity, equity, and inclusion– the founding ideals of our republic;
• Abandon the state’s partnership with local and county governments;
• Provide no meaningful property tax relief;
• Reduce funding for H2Ohio and lead abatement programs;
• Cut food bank funding;
• Abolish the Ohio Elections Commission and transfer its duties to the Secretary of State’s office; and
• Politicize education by requiring party affiliation for State Board of Education and local school board races.

“The Senate Democratic Caucus envisioned a budget that would prioritize the People of Ohio by putting them first – hardworking middle-class Ohioans who for too long have received only lip service, but not real substantial policy change that would indicate that they are indeed a priority – that their lives– and their everyday struggles and that of their families matter enough for consideration in this budget,” said Leader Antonio.

House Bill 96 now heads back to the Ohio House of Representatives for concurrence. If the House does not concur with the Senate’s changes, the bill will go to conference committee.