Policy Matters Ohio responds to the State of the State Posted April 10, 2024 in Press Releases

Author: Ben Stein

Gov. DeWine raises more questions than he answers

Gov. DeWine delivered his annual State of the State address in Columbus today, outlining policy priorities and ambitions for the coming year. Policy Matters Ohio Executive Director Hannah Halbert released the following statement, with contributions from Policy Matters staff:

In today’s State of the State address, Gov. DeWine gestured toward some policies that may do some good for some Ohio families. The ultimate impact will depend on how these policies are designed and implemented. In the coming weeks and months, our staff will be digging into these proposals. Highlighted below are some of our unanswered questions.

In response to Ohio’s child care crisis, the governor announced a new “Child Care Choice Voucher Program.” The biggest question is whether this is a true long-term expansion of Ohio’s public child care program — as parents, advocates, and providers have asked, and DeWine has promised throughout his governorship — or just a stop-gap measure until the next state budget cycle. Ultimately, Ohioans need to know how this program advances or erodes the public child care system:

Will the program have dedicated, permanent funding from the General Revenue Fund?

Will the Department of Education & Workforce and/or the Department of Children and Youth see their funding reduced to pay for these vouchers?

Why cap eligibility at 200% of FPL when the full value of private tuition vouchers for school-age children is available to households with income up to 450%, with no eligibility cap for partial vouchers?

The governor’s proposal to expand Mobile Response Stabilization Services for children to all 88 Ohio counties is a step toward decriminalizing mental illness. But Ohioans of all ages need a care response program with state-level support. Does the governor have any plans to improve the way we respond to adults experiencing behavioral and mental health crisis?

The governor’s focus on expanding access to services and treatment options for people living with sickle cell disease is an exciting addition to the governor’s agenda. While new gene-editing based treatments for sickle cell disease are now available to the public, the actual cost of the treatment could be anywhere between $2.2 million and $3.1 million. Expanding access to these treatments and coordinating care services for patients can improve health care equity, particularly because sickle cell primarily affects Black Americans. Does the governor have any other plans to address racial health disparities?

As an example of a new focus on “well care,” the governor said his OAK Learning Network would “reward and incentivize our healthcare system…to focus on asthma prevention.” How will the governor’s proposals address the root causes of asthma, including the disproportionately high pollution burden on Black, Latine and Asian communities?

Though the Intel project has been his administration’s signature economic achievement, the governor did not mention it once, leaving a long list of unanswered questions we raise in this release by Research Director Zach Schiller.

The governor's speech included several policy proposals that will require funding — but he made no mention of additional revenue streams. This comes as Ohio lawmakers are working to eliminate the state personal income tax, with dire consequences for the state’s ability to provide public services. How will the governor’s policy proposals be reconciled with the legislature’s efforts to eliminate the state’s second largest revenue source?

Every Ohioan deserves a government devoted to making life better in our state. The governor has a great deal of power to do so, and some proposals that might. We hope the DeWine administration can offer answers that demonstrate a commitment to making Ohio a state that works for everyone.