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The state legislature remains in recess and is scheduled to return after Labor Day for committees and session. The House made several changes to their session schedule and will not have their first session likely until October while the Senate is scheduled for session in September.

Governor Mike DeWine signed the FY24-25 State Operating Budget into law in the early morning hours of July 4th. The $86 billion budget includes significant changes in education and includes an historic expansion of school vouchers, changes to two state agencies, and a one-time investment in economic development among others. The legislature is now in recess until mid-September.

House Bill 33, the state operating budget, passed the Ohio House in late April. The $88 billion budget passed the House by a vote of 78 -19 with all Democrats voting yes except Rep. Elliott Forhan (D-South Euclid) and Rep. Joe Miller (D-Amherst). Read on for highlights of the bill.

G2G has been busy at the Statehouse and around Capitol Square attending meetings with legislators, agencies, and the governor’s office as well as committee hearings and legislative events. With the Statehouse in full swing for the first time since 2020, we have had the opportunity to connect with many members old and new as we navigate the budget process.

The Ohio House of Representatives and Senate concluded the 134th General Assembly after marathon sessions – some say the longest they’ve seen in decades – before Christmas. During this period, several key bills were passed and sent to Governor DeWine’s desk. Farewells were said to many legislators as a result of retirements, term limits, and election losses and to agency heads who opted to retire at the end of the year. The opening of the 135th General Assembly led to dramatic results in the Ohio House during the election of the new Speaker, and the ripple effects continue.

With the General Election behind us, the Ohio Legislature will now swing right into Lame duck action. Ohio’s election results were as expected with Republicans easily sweeping all statewide seats and deepening their margins in both the House and Senate as they picked up seats in both chambers. In Lame duck, we will see a flurry of bills passed before the end of the year. All bills that were introduced in this General Assembly will die at the end of the year. While Ohio still has $1B in federal ARPA funding available to spend, all eyes will be on how or if the funding will be spent in Lame duck. This legislative update will focus on election results, what we expect to see in Lame duck, and insights into the next General Assembly, including the State Operating Budget which will take place at the top of 2023.