Ohio House Approves 7-Day Budget, Sends to Governor Strickland

On Tuesday, June 30, the House approved a seven-day interim budget 94-2 and then sent it on to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, who is expected to sign it before Wednesday, the start of the new fiscal year. The Senate had approved the interim budget 32-0 on Monday.

The temporary budget will keep the state government in operation while while negotiations continue and lawmakers attempt to finalize the biennium budget. Currently, Strickland and Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland) are deadlocked on the issue of allowing slot machines at Ohio's seven existing racetracks.

The budget passed by state legislators will only be in effect until July 7, and will fund most state agencies at 70 percent of current spending levels. There are, however, no cuts to debt service and other big budget items like K-12 education, higher education, and Medicaid.

In anticipation of the possibility that both sides may not reach an agreed upon budget by the end of the seven days, a bill was introduced on Tuesday to authorize a second, seven-day budget. House Speaker Armond Budish said that legislators were "just being prepared". This bill would also require approval of both the House and Senate, and would continue funding state government operations through July 14.

Strickland and Harris are currently said to be at a stalemate on the slots issue. Strickland wants the legislature to authorize putting slots at the tracks, while Harris says that if he wants that to happen he should issue an executive order and do it himself. In other words, the Republicans aren't willing to put their reputations and possible chances of re-election on the line by authorizing the installation of slot machines.