House Passes HB 318 - Budget Solution Heads to Senate
On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, House Bill 318 passed the Ohio House by a vote of 55-44. The bill, sponsored by Representative Vernon Sykes (D-Akron), would freeze income tax rates at 2008 levels for tax years 2009 and 2010 in order to restore support for primary and secondary education and to avoid making deeper reductions to other important programs and services. FutureofOhio.org supports the budget solution contained in HB 318.
This bill is necessary because $851 million in state support for primary and secondary education is in jeopardy. This is a result of a recent Ohio Supreme Court Decision which ruled that the installation of Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) at Ohio's seven racetracks, as contained in House Bill 1, will have to go to the ballot for voter approval in November 2010. The proceeds from VLTs are earmarked for primary and secondary education. Moreover, state reductions of this magnitude jeopardize an additional $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funds for Ohio's public schools. This would create a $2.3 billion budget reduction to primary and secondary education over the biennium.
To read a full analysis of the bill and its major provisions, please click here. (Link to HB 318 Detail.pdf)