DeMora Votes Against Republican State Budget

Today, state Senator Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) issued the following statement after the Ohio Senate voted to accept conference committee changes to House Bill 96, the state operating budget.

"This budget is somehow more rotten than when we first voted it out of the Senate two weeks ago," said DeMora. "We're gutting schools, libraries, and social services to bankroll tax cuts for people earning nearly three times what average Ohioans make. We could use that billion dollars a year to fund free school breakfast and lunches for all, to help Ohioans suffering under the property tax crisis, or to provide for our libraries and local governments. Instead, we're helping law firm partners buy their third houses while constituents struggle with rent. We're stealing from unclaimed funds to pay back campaign donations and build the Browns owners their domed stadium outside of Cleveland. This is a billionaire's budget bought by billionaires and other wealthy donors."

This budget cuts taxes for the wealthiest residents of our state, gives away $600 million in Ohioans’ unclaimed funds to the Cleveland Browns, underfunds our public schools by billions, provides no meaningful property tax relief, and threatens Medicaid coverage for nearly 800,000 Ohioans. It also slashes critical funding across the state for public health, lead abatement programs, clean water, public libraries, and food banks.

For the first time since 2001, not a single Democrat voted in support of the state operating budget. Ohioans deserve better.

House Bill 96 now heads to Governor DeWine for his signature. He may still line-item veto provisions of the budget.