Ohio House Passes State Transportation Budget
COLUMBUS – The Ohio House of Representatives voted yesterday unanimously to pass House Bill 54 (Stewart), the State Transportation Budget, announced State Representative Jamie Callender (R-Concord). The State Transportation Budget, totaling $11.4 billion across the biennium is primarily funded by state gas tax revenue and federal highway aid and is one of Ohio’s four budget bills. The Transportation Budget is used by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for infrastructure development and maintenance, in addition to providing support for local transit authorities.
Included in House Bill 54 are funds for Ohio’s highways, including $393 million for new highway construction and $4.1 billion for maintenance across Ohio’s 49,861 miles of highways. Additionally, the bill directs $382 million to roadway safety improvements and adopts the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact with the goal of expanding regional passenger rail services. Alongside these investments are funds to help local transit authorities connect job seekers with employers and workforce development programs.
The Workforce Mobility Partnership Program (WMPP), created in 2023 under House Bill 23 (135th General Assembly, Edwards), supports projects across Ohio aimed at connecting employees with employers both within and outside their communities. Totaling $30 million across the biennium, the WMPP assists regional transit authorities with planning, equipment, technology, and operating costs for creating new access to employment opportunities.
“By providing reliable transportation to high-quality training and job opportunities, we are removing barriers to employment, strengthening the local workforce, and ensuring businesses have access to skilled talent,” said Teresa Simons, Executive Director AWT Foundation, “Our collaboration with Laketran is a tremendous asset to our community and its economic growth.”
“Without reliable transportation, both job seekers and members of the community can face barriers when trying to reach services across the county,” said Jim Dvorak, President of the Geauga County Board of Commissioners. “By supporting workforce mobility, we can ensure workers are able to access job opportunities, employers have access to a skilled workforce, and our seniors are able to safely access medical and community resources.”
“Getting people to work is Laketran’s primary destination and we appreciate Rep. Callender's continued advocacy for ODOT's Workforce Mobility program,” said Ben Capelle, CEO of Laketran. “Keeping this funding whole in the transportation bill means we help more local businesses and residents by getting people to work. We hope the Senate also recognizes the importance of this funding during the budget process.”
The legislation also creates the Ohio Airport Improvement Program under ODOT’s Office of Aviation. This program will use revenues generated from the sale of aviation fuel to support improvements at publicly owned airports across the state. The program is expected to receive approximately $4.65 million in revenues per year.
“By investing in both physical infrastructure and our transit authorities, we are showing our commitment to ensuring Ohioans have access to both good paying jobs and the worldclass amenities found in every corner of our state,” said Callender.
House Bill 54 now goes to the Ohio Senate for additional hearings. The state’s transportation budget must be passed by the first working day of April to ensure the funding is in place for the start of Ohio’s 2026 fiscal year.