Rep. Brennan Criticizes Last-Minute Budget Additions That Bypass Legislative Transparency

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan (Parma) today raised serious concerns about provisions added at the last minute to Ohio’s biennial budget during the conference committee process — specifically provisions that were never debated or approved in either the House or Senate versions of the bill prior to the conference report.

“Personally, I believe that any provision inserted into the budget bill by the conference committee — but which was not included in any prior version debated and passed by either chamber — should be null and void,” said Rep. Brennan. “These provisions fail the basic test of legislative transparency and violate the spirit, if not the letter, of our constitutional process and are open to expensive litigation. They were never read on three separate days in either chamber, as required, and no rules were properly suspended to permit their inclusion.”

A notable example Rep. Brennan cited is the provision affecting the composition and operation of the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Board. 

“This STRS provision was never introduced as standalone legislation, never debated in committee, and never included in the House or Senate versions of the budget,” said Rep. Brennan. “Then, without public scrutiny, it appeared in the final conference report — a maneuver that undermines both legislators’ ability to represent their constituents and the public’s right to know.” 

Under Article II, Section 15(C) of the Ohio Constitution, every bill must be considered by each chamber on three different days unless rules are suspended by a two-thirds vote. 

“In this case, these new provisions were never subjected to the required three-day readings, and the General Assembly did not properly vote to suspend the rules to bypass that requirement,” said Rep. Brennan. “That is why, in my view, they should not have the force of law.” 

Ohio's biennial budget passed the conference committee on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

“Regardless of where anyone stands on the substance of these last-minute provisions, the process matters. Ohioans deserve an open, transparent budget process where major policy changes aren’t slipped in behind closed doors,” concluded Rep. Brennan.