DeMora Condemns Senate Budget

Today, state Senator Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) issued the following statement after the Ohio Senate voted to pass their version of House Bill 33, the state operating budget.

“This budget was the culmination of all of the worst pieces of legislation brought forward this General Assembly,” said DeMora. “By ramming these bills into a budget that is required to pass, we have done a grave disservice to the people of Ohio. This budget is a heaping pile of manure!”

As passed by the Senate, House Bill 33 expands vouchers, slashes funding for social services, and cuts taxes in a way that disproportionately and unfairly benefits Ohio’s wealthiest residents. Additionally, it contains a number of controversial policy provisions, including:

• Senate Bill 1, which would transfer almost all the powers of the state Board of Education, comprised primarily of elected members, to a new executive agency;
• Senate Bills 83 and 117, which would dictate what may be taught in Ohio’s institutions of higher education and infringe on the collective bargaining rights of their faculty; and
• Removes the ability for Ohio State student trustees to vote on issues concerning their university.

House Bill 33 now heads to the Ohio House. If the House does not concur with the Senate’s changes, the bill will go to the conference committee.