COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed the state's massive operating budget, including dozens of vetoes — axing provisions that would restrict books in libraries, take money away from public school savings and make significant expansions to the private school voucher system.
At 11:15 p.m. Monday, DeWine announced he approved the $60-billion Republican spending bill. At 2:15 a.m., he sent out his 67 line-item vetoes.
The governor held a press conference to explain his decisions:
Here is what made it into the budget.
These are some of the major items he cut. This list is not exhaustive, but you can find the full veto list here.
Education
The governor has vetoed several major items under the education portion of the budget.
He cut a provision that would have required public libraries to place books referencing "sexual orientation or gender" in an area away from the public. This means that even books that reference a female character in the title could be blocked, according to a Northeast Ohio librarian.
This kind of proposal has been brought up in previous years as a way to categorize LGBTQ+ content as "harmful" to minors.
DeWine also cut a provision that would have taken away some of the school districts’ savings, capping the carryover revenue at 40% and requiring anything above that mark be refunded to taxpayers. This could have bankrupted districts and multiple schools, the Ohio Education Association told us.
RELATED: Ohio schools sound alarm with the governor over what they're calling a destructive budget
DeWine vetoed a provision that would have allowed county budget commissions to unilaterally take money away from passed school levies if they find it "reasonably necessary."
He removed a provision that would have required that emergency and substitute tax levies, incremental growth levies, conversion levies, and the property tax portion of combined income tax and property tax levies be included in the 20-mill floor calculation for school funding purposes.
He cut restrictions on the ability to put emergency levies on the ballot or request an increase to a current levy.
He vetoed what would have been a win for "school choice" proponents. The budget would have provided about $2.5 billion over the biennium for the state's voucher system, providing taxpayer dollars for students to attend nonchartered nonpublic schools — ones that already don't receive state or federal funding. This includes a new education savings account program, or ESAs, which is a way for families to get state money to purchase "educational goods and services," including tuition at nonchartered, nonpublic schools. He rejected this.
He removed an item that would have restricted the amount of money the state could award to the Ohio Higher Education Research Public Policy Consortium, which analyzes policy challenges and researches the state's priorities.
He vetoed an item that would have allowed the legislature to choose where school funding goes based on compliance with Senate Bill 1.
He cut a provision that would have required partisan labels on school board candidates.
Children
He vetoed an item that would have restricted funding from youth homeless shelters if they supported transgender or nonbinary identities.
Also, a cut to a provision requiring teenagers under the age of 18 who have been tried and convicted as adults to be committed to a Department of Youth Services facility instead of a Department of Rehabilitation and Correction facility.
Health
He vetoed a provision that would have restricted Medicaid for babies ages 0-3. This would have repealed the requirement for Medicaid to allow parents of children under the age of four to stay enrolled in Medicaid through a federal waiver.
He removed a provision that requires Medicaid to randomly assign a managed care plan for all individuals who do not choose a specific managed care plan.
He cut an item that puts reporting requirements on entities participating in the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program.
He cut an item that would have stopped SNAP for “sugar-sweetened beverages.”
Due to a drafting error in the creation of the legislation, he cut a provision that was intended to regulate the practice of pharmacy benefit managers in Ohio and the requirements for fair and transparent reimbursement for Ohio pharmacies.
He vetoed an item that would prevent the Department of Health from requiring soil evaluators or soil scientists to assess soil type and slope for Household Treatment Sewage Systems.
He cut a provision requiring a hospital with a maternity unit that accepts Medicaid to enter into a transfer agreement with any freestanding birthing center located within a 30-mile radius that requests one.
Land and energy
He vetoed a provision that would have put restrictions on what H2Ohio, DeWine's clean water program, can do. It would have stopped their ability to use funds to purchase land or conservation easements.
He stopped an item that would have prevented state and local governments from using eminent domain to obtain property for the construction of recreational trails.
He cut an item that could have delayed the amount of time a lessee has to actually produce on a well and generate royalty payments for the state.
He removed a provision creating the Oil and Gas Resolution and Remediation Fund for the purposes of plugging orphaned oil and gas wells in the state.
He vetoed an item that prohibits the Department of Natural Resources, when contracting with a third party, from requiring dredge operators to hold any licenses, registrations, or certifications when dredging in waters of the state.
He cut a provision that makes certain electric transmission costs avoidable by customers who shop for their electric energy provider.
He removed an item that would have prohibited the Tax Credit Authority from entering into new computer data center sales and use tax exemption agreements.
Administrative
He vetoed a provision that would have required state employees to work in the office full time.
He cut an item that would have created the Election Integrity Unit within the Secretary of State’s Office and directed the Unit to investigate alleged violations of elections law.
He removed a provision limiting the types of flags permitted to be displayed on state-owned buildings and property to include only the Ohio flag, U.S. flag, POW/MIA flag, and flags of official state agencies as approved by the governor.
He cut an item that would prohibit local school boards from entering into supplemental benefit arrangements to pay employee contributions to the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS) on behalf of superintendents and principals.
Taxes
He vetoed a provision changing the tax structure surrounding marijuana sales. Currently, it is taxed through an excise tax; however, this item would have applied a sales tax to the excise tax.
He cut an item requiring Ashtabula County to repeal a 2% special lodging tax used to fund the costs of a convention center.
He vetoed a provision that would sunset the film and theater production tax credit program by prohibiting the award of the tax credit.
What is next?
The governor is holding a press conference to explain his decisions at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Lawmakers have the opportunity to do line-item veto overrides, but that would require them to come back from break. Three-fifths of each chamber would be required to do so.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
