07/01/25 12:30:00
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07/01 12:28 CDT Ohio governor signs 2-year, $60 billion budget that includes
funding for football stadium
Ohio governor signs 2-year, $60 billion budget that includes funding for
football stadium
By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI
Associated Press
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a two-year, $60 billion operating budget that
flattens the state's income tax and sets aside $600 million in unclaimed funds
for a new Cleveland Browns stadium.
The Republican governor signed the budget late Monday night, about 45 minutes
before the midnight deadline. He also issued 67 line-item vetoes, including one
that would have cut funding for homeless shelters "that promote or affirm
social gender transition" and another that would have forced public libraries
to keep materials on sexual orientation and gender identity away from those
under 18.
He also rejected lawmakers' plan to limit how much money school districts could
carry over to 40% and another that would have required candidates for local
school board races to be identified with partisan labels on the ballot.
The moves mark the largest number of vetoes DeWine has issued since becoming
governor in 2019. His previous record was 44 in 2023. The governor defended his
decisions during a news conference Tuesday, noting that state lawmakers can now
vote to override the vetoes and put the items back in the budget if they desire.
The budget had been approved by the Republican-controlled state Legislature
last week. GOP leaders touted its $1 billion in income tax relief, pathways to
address Ohio's property tax crisis, and that it trims spending at
administrative agencies and curtails regulations.
Democrats voted uniformly against the bill, alongside a handful of Republicans,
casting it as a collection of misguided policy tradeoffs that prioritize the
wealthy over the middle class.
The budget phases in a single flat-tax rate of 2.75% over two years, affecting
anyone making over $26,050 annually. Those making less would continue to pay
nothing. The plan eliminates the existing 3.5% rate for those making over
$100,000 annually by the 2026 tax year.
It also includes the $600 million Haslam Sports Group, owner of the Browns,
which requested that the state help build a new domed stadium in suburban Brook
Park south of Cleveland. DeWine had proposed doubling taxes on sports betting
to help the Browns, as well as the Cincinnati Bengals and other teams who might
seek facility upgrades. But the Legislature used some of the $4.8 billion in
unclaimed funds the state is holding on to --- in small sums, residents left
behind from dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks and forgotten utility
deposits. Currently, there's a 10-year time limit before that money reverts to
the state.
"This is a win for taxpayers, and it will provide significant money to things
that improve the quality of life in Ohio," DeWine said of the stadium money.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the Browns called the budget approval a
"tremendous milestone for our organization" and said DeWine and the Legislature
worked together "to find a responsible way to support such a transformative
project."
Lawmakers who represent Cleveland and surrounding communities, mostly
Democrats, have blasted the proposal as a gift to the team's billionaire
owners. Democrats outside the Legislature have threatened to sue if DeWine
signed the plan, arguing it would be unconstitutionally raiding the unclaimed
funds without due process.
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