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Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Child care programs take hits in Ohio Senate budget, even a Republican-supported one
Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, speaks at the Ohio Senate Republican Budget Press Conference. Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, stands in the background. (Photo by Morgan Trau, WEWS.) The Ohio Senate-approved budget keeps eligibility for state-supported child care at levels that state leaders and advocates say is one of the worst in the country, and eliminates a cost-sharing model for child care that was supported by Republicans in both chambers. Eligibility for Publicly Funded Child Care wasn't increased in the Ohio Senate proposal as advocates had urged, maintaining the state eligibility of 145% of the federal poverty level. That level leaves Ohio at what Ohio Department of Children and Youth Director Kara Wente, along with advocates like Policy Matters Ohio, said was one of the lowest eligibility levels in the country. To even get to the middle of rankings on child care eligibility, Heather Smith, a researcher with Policy Matters Ohio, said the state would need to jump their eligibility level to 225%, far above what advocates requested, which was an increase to 160%. One thing that made it to the Senate proposal at the urging of advocates was a provision that calculates payments for Publicly Funded Child Care based on enrollment numbers rather than attendance. Child care workers and leaders said the method would create more consistency in payments and would be 'critical' for parents and providers. The budget eliminates a Republican-supported measure added in the House version called the Child Care Cred Program, which would create a cost-sharing model for child care, in which employers, eligible employees, and the state all pay a portion of the cost of child care. In the most recent discussions on the model, the state would pay 20%, and employers and employees would put in 40% each. The measure came from bills in both chambers of the Ohio legislature, the GOP sponsors of which pushed the model as a way to address a state child care sector that has long been considered inaccessible, unaffordable, and without the adequate (and adequately paid) workforce to stand up to the demand. Policy Matters actually supported taking the model out of the budget, citing 'lackluster results' from comparable programs in other states. Smith said the funding 'would have a greater impact' if it was directed toward Ohio Senate Bill 177, a GOP-led bill that would create a pilot program to allow child care staff members to have Publicly Funded Child Care for free. 'This program would stabilize the sector while creating an additional 6,000 to 18,000 spots in child care facilities,' according to Smith. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Child Care Choice Voucher program, which Republican Gov. Mike DeWine praised as an important part of the state's support for parents and the child care sector, stayed in the Senate-passed budget with eligibility at 200% of the federal poverty line to receive subsidies for child care services. But the budget took out language regarding Step Up to Quality, a set of state standards for licensed child care providers, and Smith said the payment rates for the voucher program 'are not sufficient for providers.' The voucher program would receive $25 million less over the next two years than was proposed in DeWine's executive budget. While he asked for $75 million in 2026 and $150 million in 2027, the Senate kept the House's amounts, at $100 million in each fiscal year. Early childhood education advocacy group Groundwork Ohio said the Senate proposal 'fails to meet the moment.' 'Ohio families are doing everything right,' said Lynanne Gutierrez, president and CEO of Groundwork Ohio, in testimony to the Senate Finance Committee before the proposal was passed. 'They're working hard, raising kids and keeping our economy moving. They deserve a budget that recognizes their contribution and meets them with the support they need.' Gutierrez and Groundwork pushed for restoration of the Child Tax Credit as well, which would have provided up to $1,000 per child ages 0 to 6. The credit had the support of state organizations and individuals, along with economic experts who said the credit would boost the state's financial health. Republican legislative leaders pushed back on the tax credit, partly because the money for the credit would have come from tobacco taxes, which legislative leaders said was a fading source of revenue. A Child Care Recruitment and Mentorship Grant Program was kept from the House provision, to 'help increase the number of licensed child care providers in Ohio and to assist recited entities and individuals.' The budget proposal includes $1.75 million in fiscal year 2026 and $1 million in 2027 for the program. Another grant program that survived to the Senate budget was the Early Childhood Education Grant Program, to 'support and invest in Ohio's early learning and development programs,' including licensed child care centers, licensed family child care homes and licensed preschools. The Ohio House and Ohio Senate are now working in closed-door discussions to combine their two versions into a final budget draft, set to be sent to the governor for signature, and possible line-item vetoes, by July 1. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
County coroners' future as elected officials sees signs of life
Jun. 10—In a final tweak to its proposed two-year state operating budget, the Ohio Senate changed course on a provision that would have made all county coroners in Ohio appointed by county commissioners instead of elected by the public. The Tuesday amendment comes less than a week after the Senate indicated it would go along with the House's plan to do away with elected county coroners. Senate Finance Chair Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, said the change was a result of robust debate within the Senate's supermajority GOP caucus. "I think it came to a point of like, look: There wasn't a compelling enough reason represented to change the way it's currently done," Cirino told reporters Tuesday. The late change adds another item to a list of hundreds of differences between the House and Senate's version of the state's two year spending plan. Those changes will be sorted out in a so-called conference committee in coming weeks. The Ohio House argued that making coroners an appointed position was necessary to counteract a growing scarcity of qualified Ohioans who were interested in running for office. If the state removed the campaigning requirement, the logic goes, then more Ohioans might be interested in becoming coroner. But the House plan met staunch opposition from the Ohio Coroners Association, whose executive director David Corey told this outlet that the change was unnecessary. "Commissioners already have the authority to appoint a physician to be coroner if no one runs," Corey said. "So they already have this authority — so why subject this as a blanket on everyone?" Corey said the plan could create a dynamic where coroners are more beholden to the county commission than the voters of the county. The appointment plan, if implemented, could have repercussions for coroners in positions similar to longtime Montgomery County Coroner Kent Harshbarger, a Republican serving alongside a majority Democratic county commission. ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio Senate GOP moves to give wealthiest Ohioans tax cut
Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, speaks at the Ohio Senate Republican Budget Press Conference. Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, stands in the background. Photo: Morgan Trau, WEWS Ohio Republican senators have proposed a flat income tax for the state's top earners, which would result in a projected $1 billion loss in the general revenue fund. Bailey Williams is like the average Ohioan — earning less than six figures a year. According to census data, the median income in the state is about $68,000. He's worried about the Senate's newly proposed state budget. 'The services that made me who I am today, public education made me who I am today. I worry about those opportunities being there for my younger siblings,' Williams said. He is also a researcher with the nonpartisan organization Policy Matters Ohio and is evaluating a budget provision — one that creates a flat income tax of 2.75%. There are three income tax brackets in Ohio. Those making up to $26,000 do not need to pay state income tax. Ohioans earning between $26,000 and $100,000 pay a tax of 2.75%. Those making more than $100,000 have to pay 3.5%. Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) said that the highest earners in the state will have their income tax payment reduced to 2.75%. 'Every tax cut we do in the future will involve every single person equally, on a percentage basis,' McColley said. State data reveals that this could result in a loss of about $1.1 billion in the General Revenue Fund. How would Ohio make up the deficit from the tax? 'One of two ways,' Williams said. 'We're going to see increases in regressive taxes, most likely the sales tax, or we have to make do with less — less government services.' Many cuts for programs that benefit lower-income families have already been proposed in the budget. Funding for schools, Medicaid, libraries, lead abatement, food banks and child care face funding decreases from the current status or from the governor's budget. When McColley was asked how he defends cuts to Medicaid, lead poisoning prevention and child care while allowing a lower tax rate for wealthier Ohioans, he said the 'growth in Medicaid spending has been exponential.' According to the Legislative Service Commission, a nonpartisan agency that works with the legislature, the proposed budget would result in a 4% decrease in spending, with billions of dollars in cuts. He said that there was already an 'awful lot' of lead program funding and said that they were keeping child care the same as before. However, the budget would cut the governor's proposal of offering Publicly Funded Child Care to families earning up to 160% of the federal poverty level, keeping it at the current 145% threshold. 'No multimillionaire needs a $10,000 tax cut bankrolled by cutting lead abatement or Medicaid,' Williams said. McColley said the elimination of 11% of the state's income tax revenue would not actually impact funding because he predicts companies will move to Ohio to take advantage of that lower tax rate. 'A lower tax burden has had a positive economic development and brought more jobs to the state,' McColley said. 'It's brought more investment in the state.' The budget will continue to be heard, and a final version will need to be agreed upon by the Senate and House by the end of June. Click here to learn more about the House's passed budget. Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio House Republicans pass higher education overhaul to ban diversity efforts and faculty strikes
Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original article.) This story will be updated. Ohio House Republican lawmakers voted to pass a massive higher education overhaul bill Wednesday that would ban diversity and inclusion efforts and prevent faculty from striking. State Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, introduced S.B. 1, which passed the Ohio Senate last month. Now that it's been passed by the House, it now heads back to the Ohio Senate for concurrence with changes made to the bill by the House. Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, said Wednesday the Senate will concur with House changes at a later date. Ohio Senate passes higher ed overhaul bill less than a day after eight hours of opponent testimony After the Senate concurs with the House changes, the bill will go to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's desk and DeWine will have 10 days to sign the bill into law or veto it once he receives it. If DeWine vetoes the bill, lawmakers would need three-fifths vote from each chamber to override it. In addition to the bans on diversity efforts and faculty strikes, S.B. 1 would also set rules around classroom discussion, create post-tenure reviews, put diversity scholarships at risk, create a retrenchment provision that block unions from negotiating on tenure, shorten university board of trustees terms from nine years down to six years, and require students take an American history course, among other things. For classroom discussion, the bill would set rules around topics involving 'controversial beliefs' such as climate policies, electoral politics, foreign policy, diversity and inclusion programs, immigration policy, marriage, or abortion. S.B. 1 would only affect Ohio's public universities. More than 700 people submitted opponent testimony against controversial Ohio higher education bill The Ohio House Higher Education Committee voted the bill out of committee Wednesday morning with a 9-4 party-line vote after listening to people testify in support of the bill. The committee also approved amendments to S.B. 1 that would require universities to stop accepting funds for scholarships with diversity and inclusion requirements four years after the bill becomes law. Another amendment requires the Chancellor of Higher Education to do a diversity study of students enrolled in universities based on race, ethnicity, and biological sex and submit the report to lawmakers within six years. Outside of the Ohio Statehouse, a mass of college students and protesters rallied against the bill, saying it would destroy freedom of thought and expression on university campuses and push students out-of-state. Ohio college students and protesters rally at the Statehouse on March 19, 2025, against Senate Bill 1, a higher education overhaul that bans diversity efforts and faculty strikes, and sets rules around classroom discussion, among other things. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio college students and protesters rally at the Statehouse on March 19, 2025, against Senate Bill 1, a higher education overhaul that bans diversity efforts and faculty strikes, and sets rules around classroom discussion, among other things. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio college students and protesters rally at the Statehouse on March 19, 2025, against Senate Bill 1, a higher education overhaul that bans diversity efforts and faculty strikes, and sets rules around classroom discussion, among other things. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio college students and protesters rally at the Statehouse on March 19, 2025, against Senate Bill 1, a higher education overhaul that bans diversity efforts and faculty strikes, and sets rules around classroom discussion, among other things. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio college students and protesters rally at the Statehouse on March 19, 2025, against Senate Bill 1, a higher education overhaul that bans diversity efforts and faculty strikes, and sets rules around classroom discussion, among other things. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio college students and protesters rally at the Statehouse on March 19, 2025, against Senate Bill 1, a higher education overhaul that bans diversity efforts and faculty strikes, and sets rules around classroom discussion, among other things. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio college students and protesters rally at the Statehouse on March 19, 2025, against Senate Bill 1, a higher education overhaul that bans diversity efforts and faculty strikes, and sets rules around classroom discussion, among other things. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio college students and protesters rally at the Statehouse on March 19, 2025, against Senate Bill 1, a higher education overhaul that bans diversity efforts and faculty strikes, and sets rules around classroom discussion, among other things. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio college students and protesters rally at the Statehouse on March 19, 2025, against Senate Bill 1, a higher education overhaul that bans diversity efforts and faculty strikes, and sets rules around classroom discussion, among other things. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio college students and protesters rally at the Statehouse on March 19, 2025, against Senate Bill 1, a higher education overhaul that bans diversity efforts and faculty strikes, and sets rules around classroom discussion, among other things. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.) Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
