OHIO — After hours of testimony on the statehouse floor, lawmakers in the lower chamber have passed their version of the budget.

What You Need To Know

  • All but five Republicans voted in favor of the two-year spending measure

  • It passed by a vote of 60 to 39

  • There were a few hot-button topics, including how to fund public libraries

All but five Republicans voted in favor of the two-year spending measure, which passed by a vote of 60 to 39, but it didn’t come without contentious moments.

One of the biggest points of contention seemed to surround the Browns request for state funding as lawmakers amended the budget to require the Haslams to contribute more for the project up front.

Later on, Republican Ron Ferguson proposed a separate amendment that would have prevented the state from paying loans for professional sports facilities, but that failed by just one vote.

“So, it’s all these other facilities that are going to benefit from,” said Speaker of the House Matt Huffman, R-Ohio. “I think Representative Ferguson’s explanation that this is under the Cleveland Browns is false.”

Ferguson was one of five Republicans who voted against the house’s version of the budget, but it still passed.

Ferguson’s motion to amend that would have prevented the state from giving loans to the Cleveland Browns just barely failed with 49 representative voting in favor and 50 against.

State Rep. Allison Russo minority leader said the Democrats had a similar amendment but was struck down.

“It was clear when we came to the floor that Stewart’s amendment had been offered to preempt any other efforts related to the brown stadium,” Russo said. “And so what you saw on the floor was a lot of procedural maneuvering to try to get around that rule that we have.”

Some other big topics that came up for debate included a plan that would force some communities to lower their property taxes if their school districts accumulate more than 30% of their budget.

And another hot topic was how the state funds public libraries.

The House’s version would change the current formula, and State Rep. Brian Stewart, R, Chairman of the house finance Committee, said it was time for a change in the procedure.   

“We need to start showing Ohioans the real cost of these programs,” Rep. Stewart said. “When you hide it as part of a percentage, I don’t think people have any idea that we spent almost 1billion on our libraries, we need to get away from these automatic appropriations.”

But Democratic State Rep. Erica White from Springfield Township disagreed.

At a conference right after the budget’s vote, White said the funding is necessary for libraries because they play a pivotal role in the communities.

Libraries can be a resource from dog licenses, to COVID tests, to kids who go get food after school, for aging and more she said.

“Our libraries offer a wide range of services,” White said. “Cutting back, we’re talking about millions of dollars being cut back and tonight we’re talking about misinformation, services needed.”

This plan still isn’t a done deal though. The Senate just began putting its own version of the spending plan together.

The two chambers then will need to agree on and get Gov. Mike DeWine to sign it by June 30 in order to become law.