Dispute puts Ohio Statehouse approval of $1.4 billion in projects in jeopardy

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Ohio Senate allocated $1.4 billion on Wednesday afternoon with bi-partisan support, but the spending portions of the bill could already be a non-starter in the House.

The money was added into House Bill 27 on the Senate floor.

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Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) said her caucus only saw the amendments an hour before session started, and while she ultimately supported the bill, expressed her frustration with the “rushed” process. The original bill was not meant to be an appropriations piece of legislation, but Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said there was some urgency to get dollars allocated.

“We want this enacted by the March 31 deadline, doesn’t have to be, but the funding stops by June 30,” Huffman said.

Huffman is talking about things like public works projects and K-12 school projects that are ongoing and will need the continued funding by the summer construction season. HB27 now includes $600 million for K-12 schools and $575 million for public works projects. Those are funding projects the House already agreed to when they passed House Bill 2 at the start of the month.

HB27 now also includes $196 million for the state fair, Huffman said that was added at the request of Gov. Mike DeWine. $38 million dollars for the state’s adoption grant program was also added to HB27. It is a new program that gives $10,000 to someone who adopts a child, $15,000 for adopting a foster child and $20,000 for adopting a disabled child. Huffman said since allocating funds for it last year, adoptions have gone up and the money for the grants is running out.

“It was just something that was brought to our attention, and we don’t want a disruption in that program,” Huffman said.

Huffman said he is “hopeful” the House will take up HB27 at their first opportunity, which is April 10 right now, so none of those programs have any interruption. But, despite bipartisan support in the Senate, Speaker of the House Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) has already indicated that they won’t agree with the bill, keeping the money at a standstill between chambers.

“We can’t get collaboration or cooperation across chambers.” Antonio said. “It’s terrible. I don’t know what else to say.”

While some of the money was put into HB2, Huffman has been maintaining that the Senate will not move forward with passing that bill until May, at best. He is calling on the House to pass the portions of the HB27 for K-12 and public works projects, at least, in the meantime.

“They’ve already voted for it, we’ve already voted for it, if the compromise is ‘Well, let’s just agree on a bill and pass it so we don’t have to worry about it,’ that seems fine to me,” Huffman said. “I think we at least ought to agree on the things we agree about, which apparently are these two provisions.”

And while Huffman doubles down what his chamber has passed, Stephens is doing the same.

“The House has remained very transparent about ensuring money is readily available for the beginning of the summer construction season, and we look forward to the Senate taking up Substitute House Bill 2,” Stephens said in a statement.

HB2 would “ensure that time-sensitive construction investments” would stay on schedule with the traditional timeline.

“I don’t think it makes a difference what the number is,” Huffman said. “The issue is the funding, which they’ve already voted for the public works and school projects.”

“Should they have a delay because there’s some kind of internal proxy leadership war going on? I think that’s a shame,” Antonio said. “Because at the end, it’s the people of Ohio losing.”

The “proxy leadership war” is tied to ongoing Republican infighting since the start of this General Assembly in January 2023. The fight has led to a lawsuit. And now, that fight has now extended between chambers, as Stephens and Huffman could both be battling for the speakership in 2025.

“I think I have said it before, this has been the least productive general assembly since what? The 50s,” Antonio said.

HB2 also includes $700 million worth of one-time community investments.

The House allocated $350 million when they passed it, with the understanding, as House leaders said, that the Senate would then allocate the remaining half. Huffman said there was never any such agreement.

“I can’t look at senators and say, ‘It’s okay, whatever the House wants to say,’ because I’d be asking them to vote on things that could be suspect,” Huffman said.

The Senate will be taking in requests for the one-time spending until April 8. And while Huffman said they won’t vote on HB2 until May or June, Stephens is assuring his caucus that HB2 will still be the vehicle for the funding.

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