Ohio House Votes to Pass the State's Main Operating Budget Out of the House
COLUMBUS – The Ohio House voted 60 – 39 to pass House Bill 96 (Stewart), Ohio’s main operating budget, announced State Representative Jamie Callender (R-Concord). Constitutionally required to pass by the first working day of July in odd numbered years, the state’s main operating budget provides funding for the operations of the state as well as support for schools, libraries, and local governments.
While initially introduced by the Governor at $102 billion in fiscal year FY ’26 and $104 billion in FY ’27, the House’s budget proposal totals $100 billion in FY ’26 and $102 billion in FY ’27, representing a $4 billion decrease from the Governor’s proposal but a $10 billion increase over the previous biennium. This increase in appropriations was accomplished without a tax increase while taking meaningful steps towards property tax relief for Ohioans.
The House-passed version of House Bill 96 maintains the final phase of the Fair School Funding Plan, which would be fully phased in by FY ‘27. The House version modified elements of the formula to ensure all public schools receive more state aid in both FY ’26 and FY ’27 than they received in FY ’25; the formula introduced by the Governor would have otherwise resulted in over half of the districts in our state losing money compared to their state aid in FY25, including two-thirds of the school districts in Lake County. The result of the updated formula is an increase in funding for every school district in Lake County. Also included in House Bill 96 is a change to the Low-and Moderate-incoming Housing Trust Fund fees, keeping the revenues local and enabling the board of commissioners to use the funds to support housing and residential infrastructure projects.
Among the amendments made by Representative Callender are investments that will directly support Lake County, including $500,000 in each fiscal year for the Alliance for Working Together Foundation’s STEAM to Career program which aims to expose students to modern manufacturing and give them the skills to find a good paying job at one of the manufacturing companies found in Lake County. Additionally, the Village of Grand River will receive $15,000 in FY ’26 to conduct sidewalk repairs as the first phase of their riverfront development project. As well as appropriations, several permanent law changes are included in the House version of the budget, including a provision that will exempt accessory spaces when determining if an agriculture structure requires an automatic sprinkler system, protecting our wineries and allowing them to expand without burdensome red-tape and local overreach.
"We are grateful to Representative Callender and fellow members of the Ohio House of Representatives for their investment in training and connections to careers in manufacturing,” said Teresa Simons, Executive Director of The Alliance for Working Together (AWT) Foundation. “This funding will provide students and adults in Northeast Ohio with STEM-to-Career experiences including AWT WorkAdvance; a hands-on interactive workforce training program."
“I’d like to express my gratitude to Rep Callender and his team for their support of our vision for the Village of Grand River” said Grand River Mayor Jennifer Hood.
“Thank you to Representative Callender for being as excited as we are about the potential for Grand River,” said Mary Mervar, President of Grand River Village Council. “This funding is a huge first step to give our community a well-deserved facelift.”
In conjunction with the projects in Lake County, Representative Callender was able to successfully advocate for projects that will impact Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Among these projects are funds to support students, including $375,000 in each FY for the Foundry’s Row, Sail, Dream program to expand access to both the river and lakefronts for children across the region and $500,000 in FY’ 26 for New Bridge Cleveland to assist at risk adults with professional certification and job placement. State support will also go towards initiatives aimed at supporting arts and cultural institutions, $250,000 in FY’26 to support University Circle’s Engaging the Circle Initiative to support youth mental health, $700,000 in each FY for Bellefaire’s Jewish Children’s Bureau to expand school-based crisis prevention and intervention services, and to reduce infant mortality, $500,000 in FY ’26 to support Birthing Beautiful Communities efforts to provide support services to at-risk mothers and children.
"We are grateful for Representative Callender and his colleagues in the Ohio House of Representatives for supporting our continuing efforts to provide essential doula services to pregnant mothers and their babies who are at higher risk for complications,” said Jazmin Long, President and CEO of Birthing Beautiful Communities. “Our combined efforts are making progress at lowering the rate of infant mortality in Cuyahoga and Summit Counties."
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to Representative Callender for championing the expansion of our Row. Sail. Dream. Program,” expressed Mike Trebilcock, founder of The Foundry. “This vital funding empowers us to not only reach more students but also foster stronger connections with their families. It brings us closer to our mission of linking Greater Cleveland’s youth with the wonders of the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie. With this investment, we’re making significant strides toward ensuring every child has the opportunity to experience the beauty of our Great Lake!”
“We are grateful to Rep. Callender for his support in helping move our Engaging the Circle initiative forward,” said Kate Borders, President of University Circle, Inc. “This funding strengthens our efforts to build deeper community connections, enhance accessibility, and ensure University Circle remains a welcoming and vibrant hub for people across the region.”
Statewide, Representative Callender was able to champion support for S.U.C.C.E.S.S. for Autism, providing $100,000 each FY to the non-profit, enabling them to expand their efforts to help children with autism address sensory and developmental hurdles to achieve childhood milestones. Additionally, Representative Callender was able to restore some of the funding cut from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, providing an additional $500,000 across the biennium. Joining with hundreds of thousands of Ohioans, Representative Callender worked with local libraries and the Ohio Library Council to prevent a drastic cut to our public library system. While not fully restored, our public libraries will be able to continue the critical work they do to support Ohioans young and old with a space to learn and explore the world.
"We're so grateful to Representative Callender. He's always understood the crucial roles that libraries serve across the state — and within our local community — and he will raise his voice to defend them,” said Cheryl Kuonen, Executive Director of the Mentor Public Library.
"Rep. Callender has always been a true supporter of Ohio's public libraries and knows the essential services they provide to all Ohioans,” said Michelle Francis, Executive Director of the Ohio Library Council.
“We are honored to be included in the Ohio operating budget and deeply grateful to Representative Callender and all the legislators we met with for their advocacy and hard work. Their commitment to our mission and organization will make a lasting impact as we look to further support Ohio workers in need of training,” said Lynette Scotese-Wojtila Founding President of S.U.C.C.E.S.S for Autism. “This funding will allow education teams in the trenches to learn best-practice theories and methods of The S.U.C.C.E.S.S Approach model, which individualizes curriculum, increases student attention, and improves both staff and student outcomes. As the budget is set to be sent over to the Ohio Senate, we once again want to thank Representative Callender who has always been a great legislator to work with and a phenomenal champion for Lake County and the wider Northeast Ohio community.”
“This bill makes takes meaningful steps towards providing property tax relief to Ohioans while strengthening our schools and local governments,” said Callender. “By investing in our communities, Ohioans will have access to good jobs, world class arts and cultural institutions, and recreational opportunities in every corner of the state.”
House Bill 96 now awaits additional hearings in the Ohio Senate