COLUMBUS, Ohio — Just days before the end of the state’s fiscal year, Ohio’s spending appropriations through June 2026 are officially mapped out.
Before Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 2, the state’s capital budget bill, into law Friday, he thanked Ohio lawmakers for their bipartisan support in getting the measure approved by both Statehouse chambers. The Ohio House and Senate voted to approve more than $6 billion in allocations Wednesday.
“Investing in the future of Ohio, investing in our children, investing in our people and investing in our infrastructure,” DeWine said.
A portion of state funds will now go toward improving and expanding mental health care facilities, updating state parks and enhancing safety in prisons, among other appropriations.
DeWine said construction of new schools and renovations on aging school buildings is a big priority.
“Without these funds, local communities would have to bear 100% of the cost of new school buildings,” he said.
While having the financial power to pull of these projects is exciting, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said securing the manpower to make them happen may be tough.
“These are the problems of prosperity,” he said. “When you have success, when you have job creation, when you have a record amount of private and public investment in the state, we’re going to continue to see great opportunities, but workforce will continue to be one of our top challenges.”
He said workforce is an important factor in determining the state’s economic future, and right now demographics aren’t on the state’s side with more Ohioans between the ages of 55 and 64 than between the ages of 15 and 24.
“We need to make it easier for older workers to stay in the workforce,” Husted said. “We want them to do that. But we also need to create a faster pathway to get young people in.”
He said a goal is to help more teens become career-ready by high school graduation through apprenticeship programs and career centers.
State Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville, chair of the Ohio House Finance Committee, said the nearly $860 million that’s now going toward enhancing facilities in communities across the state will help attract more people to Ohio.
“That local park, that pickleball court, which we have a lot of pickleball courts, or that art museum or that music hall, those are the tools in the tool belt that we’re giving employers,” he said. “Employers all over the state of Ohio to get employees to come work for those companies.”
State Sen. Stephanie Kunze, R-Dublin, said the capital budget’s funds will have the power to make a difference in the lives of everyday Ohioans.
“I think we can’t stress enough the economic impact that this has, but really the joy and the quality of life that this infuses, that this money infuses into our local government,” she said.