Northern Ohioans for Budget Legislation Equality (NOBLE) urges residents to contact members of the Ohio House/Senate Conference Committee to express concern about provisions in the Senate version of the budget. The Ohio House and the Ohio Senate have each passed a version of the 2023-24 State of Ohio Budget and are working out their differences in the Conference Committee.

NEWS ANALYSIS

     Two weeks ago, the Ohio Senate passed their version of the 2023-24 Ohio Budget Bill.  It is an absolute disaster for low-income people, and another volley fired in the state Republicans’ war against the poor. The full text can be found at: http://legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/135/hb33.

     Among the worst parts are:  removal of free school breakfast and lunch for public school children; a $15 million reduction in funding for Food Banks; removal of expanded Medicaid coverage for pregnant mothers and children up to age 3; stricter enrollment requirements for SNAP that could take food assistance away from 385,000 Ohioans; and removing a billion dollars in public school funding to fund universal vouchers for charter schools and private schools.  

     NOBLE urges residents to lobby the members of the ConferenceCommittee, who will be meeting to determine which version of the budget bill to use.  Here are our demands regarding 6 major issue areas: 

     Revenue – Budget surpluses should be used to expand programs that help Ohioans, not for tax cuts.  We oppose the two-week sales tax holiday as well as the extensive reworking of income tax brackets to favor the wealthiest Ohioans. 

     SNAP- We are against photo id requirements for EBT cards.  Food assistance is already difficult to stay enrolled in and further restrictions only serve to threaten hungry people. 

     Public Education – We’re against universal school vouchers and urge you to protect public education funding at all costs.  Maintain the free school meals program from the House bill. 

     Childcare – Keep the House version of the Budget Bill, with its expanded eligibility for subsidized childcare and $15 million in additional assistance for areas with high infant mortality rates. 

     Housing – Keep the House version of the Budget Bill, as we oppose cuts to the Healthy Beginnings at Home program as well as the abolishment of the Ohio Housing Finance Agency in the Senate version.  We also support the restoration of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit. 

     Medicaid – Keep the House version of the Budget Bill, with its full coverage of pregnant mothers and children up to age 3, as well as coverage of doula services.

     Please feel free to focus on all or even just one of the demands.  It is just extremely important to make contact with one or more of these elected officials.  Your voice is extremely important, and we thank you for your commitment! 

     Contact the Conference Committee:Rep Bride Sweeney (D): (614) 466-3350; Rep Jay Edwards (R): (614) 466-2158; Rep Jeff LaRe (R): (614) 466-8100; Sen Jerry Cirino (R): (614) 644-7718; Sen Matt Dolan ( R): (614) 466-8056; and Sen Vernon Sykes (D): (614) 466-7041.