Ohio House Votes to Send House Bill 483, the MBR's Main Appropriations Bill, to Governor Kasich

The Ohio House of Representatives today passed the conference committee report for House Bill 483, legislation that makes appropriation and policy changes as part of the Mid-Biennial Review (MBR), a package of bills that strives to initiate reforms to state spending, agency operations, and state policies and programs.

House Bill 483 accomplishes the goal of putting more money into Ohioans’ pockets and supporting local services that will strengthen Ohio’s communities. It maintains the Ohio House’s continued commitment to laying a foundation for a successful future for the state as a whole and for the families and small businesses within Ohio’s borders. Through a series of tax cuts and new tax relief for low- and middle-income Ohioans, House Bill 483 prioritizes the issues that matter most to Ohioans:  services for the poor and vulnerable, additional resources for education, and vital investments in local governments.  

Some components of House Bill 483 include:

• A total of $400 million in tax relief for tax year 2014, including $225 million in tax relief for small businesses through a one-time increase of the small business tax credit and $175 million for individuals by accelerating the income tax reduction as well as changes to the personal exemption and earned income tax credit
• Commits $10 million in additional funding to protect vulnerable older Ohioans
• Appropriates $10 million in funding for fiscal year 2015 for Child Protective Services to provide additional safeguards for Ohio’s children
• Ensures more uninterrupted access to quality childcare and early education for Ohio families and provides $16 million for this purpose
• Redirects $47.5 million in funding from House Bill 59 for Mental Health and Addiction Services to provide a comprehensive continuum of care for the mentally ill and addicted
• Provides $17 million for security upgrades at public and private schools statewide
• Establishes a statewide system to evaluate caseworkers on the success of elevating Ohioans off of public assistance
• Gives more flexibility to county boards of developmental disabilities in staffing and shared services
• Grants the Board of Pharmacy more resources to upgrade the OARRS system to fight the opiate epidemic
• $2.5 million for the Adult Opportunity Pilot Program, which will permit an eligible community college, state community college, technical college, or Ohio Technical Center to offer a program to allow eligible students to obtain a high school diploma
• Compels the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to develop and implement a data match program to intercept child support from lottery prize awards and casino winnings if an individual is determined to be in default.
• Requires the administrator of a long-term care facility to search an individual’s name in the Attorney General’s sex offender database before admitting the individual as a resident of the facility and follow certain protocols if the individual is found to be a sex offender.

“This report will help our communities lift more of our people to better places,” said Chairman of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster). “It helps all state income taxpayers by changing our decision to cut this year’s rate by 8.5% to make the cut 10% instead. It helps lift low income Ohioans by increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit from 5% to 10% at a cost of $25 million. It also disproportionately helps lift our lower income citizens by increasing the state income tax personal exemption for individuals under $40,000 in income by $550 to $2,250 and for individuals above $40,000 up to $80,000 by $250 to $1900. It further helps lift our employment environment by lowering the tax burden on our small- and medium-sized employers.”

The conference report for House Bill 483 was passed by the House with bipartisan support.