Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and members of the Ohio General Assembly recently signed and unveiled over $3.5 billion in investments to Ohio infrastructure and institutions as part of House Bill 2, which sets the fiscal budget for 2025-2026.
Highlights to the budget include improvements to mental health care facilities, new juvenile correction facilities, investments in higher education infrastructure and cybersecurity, support in the construction and renovations of many publically-owned buildings, and improvements to state parks.
“This capital budget is all about creating jobs, growing our economy, and directly impacting the people of Ohio where they live and work,” said Governor DeWine. “The investments we’re making today impact our schools and universities, our hospitals, our parks and recreational spaces, and our communities. We know these needed investments will continue to make Ohio the best place to live, work and raise a family for years to come.”
The bill also allocates $7 million to design a new stateof- the-art Ohio Highway Patrol Crime Lab. The current lab, which is the only stateoperated lab that conducts toxicology testing to determine the amount of drugs or alcohol in an impaired driver’s blood or urine, is in an aging warehouse with wornout infrastructure.
In addition, the lab has reached its capacity and cannot expand to meet growing caseloads caused by an increase in drugged driving incidents. According to the patrol, 44 percent of all fatal crashes in 2023 involved a drugged driver as compared to 33 percent involving a person under the influence of alcohol.
Sixty three million dollars will go to support local tourism projects, including $13.5 million in improvements at Ohio’s only UNESCO World Heritage site, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, which are Native American ritual grounds south of Dayton.
Ohio’s budget continues to remain balanced, and has received a coveted AAA rating from the three major credit rating agencies in the United States. This rating signifies that its budget and outlook is both stable and optimistic, with growth projected over the next several years.
