For the Ohio General Assembly, 2014 is shaping up to be a year where economic issues will be at the fore, from tweaking the state budget to proposed changes to severance and local income taxes.
But state lawmakers will have a number of other issues on their plate as well when they return to the Statehouse, including a package of elections bills, proposed changes to the state’s self-defense and gun laws, and scaling back Ohio’s green energy laws.
In the next few weeks, Gov. John Kasich will unveil his mid-biennial review, a wide-ranging proposal to make adjustments to the budget passed in 2013.
About the same time, Kasich will also offer a capital budget to fund construction projects around the state.
Both proposals are still being drawn up. The last budget review, in 2012, gave millions of dollars to fight Lake Erie algae blooms, offered free eligibility for Cleveland’s school voucher program, and set up online driver’s education classes, among other things.
Lawmakers will also consider an already-introduced resolution to increase funding for public works projects to almost $1.9 billion during the next 10 years. House Speaker Bill Batchelder, a Medina Republican, told reporters in December that the sooner that hearings start on the proposal, Senate Joint Resolution 6, the better.
Click here to read more about proposals for taxes, elections, and more.
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