COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — When asked about Ohio budget negotiations between the House of Representatives and the Senate, Speaker of the House Jason Stephens said, “Hope you don’t have too many plans in July.”
Stephens on Tuesday hinted that the June 30 deadline to pass the state’s budget may come and go.
“The Senate kind of forgot some things,” Stephens said. “Especially when it comes to children, some of our elderly.”
Last week, the Senate passed their version of the state’s multi-billion dollar budget, with no bi-partisan support, for the first time in years. Tomorrow, representatives will vote not to concur with that version of the budget. That means senators and representatives will meet behind closed doors to look for common ground.
Still, Stephens is optimistic there is a “historic budget on the table.”
“We have the opportunity to invest in our future,” Stephens said. “We also want to be fiscally conservative at the same time, but you also have to take care of those who can’t take care of themselves. That’s part of what makes us human, and I think it’s important.”
“We remain confident in the process and in the fact that Ohio families and taxpayers support the Senate’s budget that delivered the largest tax cut in state history of $3.1 billion, invested an additional record setting $1.3 billion into public school funding, all while making sure moms and dads have the ability to embrace educational options for their children through Universal Ed Choice Scholarships,” said John Fortney, spokesperson for the Senate Majority Caucus, in a statement.
One sticking point could include the third-grade reading guarantee. This portion would require students to repeat third grade if they don’t pass a reading proficiency test. The House wants to eliminate that and will be voting on a bill to do so on Wednesday.
The House is also expected to vote on several other pieces of legislation on Wednesday, in what could be an hours-long session with lengthy floor debate.
House Bill 8, or the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” was slated for a House vote last week. Speaker Stephens tabled that vote because one of the bill’s sponsors was not there. But the legislation will get a vote this week.
Another of those bills is House Bill 68, which would ban gender-affirming care for minors and ban transgender athletes from playing on teams in line with their gender identity.
“There have been discussions on a lot of those bills over the past 2.5 years,” Stephens said. “I think it’s time to have a vote on the House floor and we’ll either send them over the Senate or we’ll talk about something else.”
