Infrastructure, farms focus of Ohio spending bills

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Two spending bills are one step closer to passing the Ohio Statehouse.   

Infrastructure Spending Bill    

House Joint Resolution 8 and Senate Joint Resolution 4 are identical bills. Only one of them will ultimately pass but are both moving through the statehouse fast.  

If passed, it will ask voters to authorize $2.5 billion in spending for infrastructure.    

“In terms of contributing to a healthier Ohio economy, renewal of this program results in thousands of good paying jobs to do the construction work on the projects that this program will finance,” Ohio Rep. Dan Troy (D-Willowick).  

The $2.5 billion would be allocated over 10 years and is an increase from the current $2 billion, which is expiring on July 1, 2025.    

“Labor and material costs have increased substantially,” Troy said. “So, the $200 million a year for ten years, $2 billion total, provided in the existing program doesn't cover as much as it previously did.”    

The resolutions are a bi-partisan effort to renew the grant loan program that was first created in 1987. The money goes to local governments for projects on things like roads, bridges and water supplies.    

“The projects are decided by local officials,” Troy said. “These are not promulgated and sent down from Columbus.”    

The resolution already passed the Senate and had no opposers in the House Finance Committee.    

If it passes the statehouse, it will be on ballots in May for voters to decide if they want the government to spend the money.    

The money is technically borrowed from the state, but the General Assembly has to provide sufficient funds like taxes, to pay for the service.    

Farmer Spending Bill    

The Ohio House Finance Committee passed House Bill 683,  a $10 million spending bill to help farmers get through the state’s historic drought.    

“It's a slowly evolving crisis,” Rep. Don Jones (R-Freeport), the bill’s sponsor, said. “This is going to help fill the gap. It’s not going to fix any long-term problem because we don't know what the long-term effects are going to be.”    

Jones said federal programs have been helpful in the meantime, but it is not enough. He called it a “little bit of a band-aid.”    

“And [this bill] will be a bigger Band-Aid,” Jones said. “We're not going to completely heal the wound until we know exactly where we end up.”    

Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture Brian Baldridge agreed that relief comes down to how much rainfall and snow we get these next few months and how much farmers can recover from the drought.    

“We know that there's more moisture in our winter months and our spring months, but if this drought cycle continues, we could really go in the spring at the same level we are,” Baldridge said. “We depend a lot on Mother Nature to give us that rain so we can grow those crops and, in this case, bring those pastures back to life this summer.” 

Jones said not only does this bill help farmers, but also everyday Ohioans through a trickle-down effect if Ohio farmers have to keep selling their cattle and downsizing because of the drought. 

“That steak or pack of hamburger that was $4.99 might be $5 or $6.99 next year because there's simply the cattle wasn’t there,” Jones said. “And this is not something that's just going to be short term. It’ll be long term.”
    

There was no opposition in committee, just a concern that the legislation is not going far enough.    

“Large farms can suffer as acutely, or even more so than smaller farms and yet we’re not reaching out to help them,” Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) said. “We should look at, at least for next year, what it would take to make everybody more whole in a drought situation like this.”    

“I appreciate the folks that said, ‘Hey, why don't we put more towards it,’ but I don't want to ask for too much now and not be able to come back if we need to or ask for more later,” Jones said.    

The bill now awaits a House floor vote before it will be considered in the Senate.