Miller Votes in Support of House Budget Bill, Approving Billions in Property Tax Relief for Ohioans

COLUMBUS – State Representative Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) last week voted in support of Am. Sub. House Bill 96 – the House’s version of the State Operating Budget. This forward-looking, fiscally responsible budget plan invests in Ohio families and the state’s future – approving over $4 billion in record property tax relief for Ohioans and ensuring that every school district in the state receives an increase in school funding in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. 

“I am extremely pleased that the House Budget will positively impact Ohioans as it provides historic property tax relief for homeowners,” said Miller, “Ohio’s public schools will remain strong as well, receiving increased funding for every single school district in Ohio.”

Some of the key highlights of the House Budget include:

• Provides $935,000 to support Ashland University's Military and Veterans Services program;
• Provides $100,000 for Ashland University's Ashbrook Center civics education K-12 teacher training and student learning initiative, and
• Provides increased funding of $10,000,000 in FY 26 and $12,000,000 in FY27 for Tourism Ohio to be able to compete with our neighboring states and show how Ohio is the Heart of it All.

BOOSTING FUNDING FOR OHIO’S SCHOOLS

House Bill 96 prioritizes the education and well-being of students, ensuring that every school district in the State of Ohio receives an increase in funding over the next biennium. 

Compared to today, this budget provides public schools with $207.6 million more in FY26 than they received in FY25, and in FY27, that increases to $347.6 million above their FY25 support. This equates to a $555.2 million increase in state aid for public schools over the coming biennium. Under the House plan, every student in Ohio will receive more per-pupil funding from the state.

DELIVERING BILLIONS IN PROPERTY TAX RELIEF TO OHIOANS

In an effort to provide much-needed property tax relief to Ohioans, the bill implements a process for schools that carry forward more than 30 percent in unspent cash at the end of each year to be distributed back to Ohioans in the form of property tax relief, totaling more than $4 billion. District cash carryovers have increased year over year since tracking began in 2012, from $3.6 billion then to $10.5 billion today. In FY24, 486 traditional school districts carried over cash greater than 30 percent of their expenditures for that year.

REVITALIZING LOCAL COMMUNITIES

House Bill 96 will continue and enhance various state initiatives that help solidify Ohio as the best place in the nation to live, work, raise a family and start a business. The bill increases funding for Brownfield Remediation, further improves the Welcome Home Ohio program, and addresses the housing shortage across our state. 

SUPPORTING OHIO FAMILIES

To help families who need assistance paying for child care, the budget establishes the Child Care Choice program, providing $100 million each fiscal year for eligible families, helping more Ohioans cover the cost of needed child care services. House Bill 96 also increases funding for the Help Me Grow program, which helps pregnant women, caregivers with new babies, and families with young children and children with developmental delays and disabilities have access to early intervention, developmental screenings, and more. 

Additional highlights include:

• Provides a personal income tax deduction for Ohioans who contribute up to $750 per year to a pregnancy resource center;
• Provides $20 million for the Parenting and Pregnancy Program which provides grants to pregnancy resource centers, and
• Requires a hospital with a maternity unit to enter into a transfer agreement with any freestanding birthing center located within a 30 mile radius that requests one.

PRIORITIZING WORKFORCE READINESS AND HIGHER EDUCATION IN OHIO

This budget makes a marked effort to prioritize workforce readiness in Ohio, investing in various higher education programs such as the Governor’s Merit Scholarship, the Choose Ohio First Scholarship, and an increase in the State Share of Instruction by 2%, helping lower costs for students at Ohio’s state institutions of higher education. The bill also continues support for Ohio’s TechCred program, which allows employers to upskill current or future employees at no cost to them.

EMPOWERING SCHOOL CHOICE 

House Bill 96 continues the state’s commitment to school choice by increasing the maximum award for the Autism Scholarship and Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship while also establishing an option for parents whose children attend a non-chartered non-public school to utilize an education savings account to help with the cost of their education.  

PROMOTING MEDICAID TRANSPARENCY

In an effort to promote transparency in the Medicaid program, the bill works to protect taxpayer dollars and eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse through a number of provisions, creating a variety of new reporting requirements that the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) must provide to the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee (JMOC) for review. 

House Bill 96 now goes to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.