Ohio’s new budget is in place, after the House and Senate couldn’t agree and a temporary spending plan was passed. That means agencies can operate with certainty, knowing the amount of money they have to do the business of the state. But it doesn’t mean every item in the budget is in effect now.
Though it took an extra 17 days to get it enacted, Gov. Mike DeWine calls this spending plan “visionary,” saying it helps workers, young people, infrastructure and clean water.
“The budget that I signed is a budget that really invests in the future of the state of Ohio," DeWine says.
But some provisions won’t go into effect for 90 days. One is that anyone under 21 is banned from buying tobacco products, but no one will be grandfathered in when it takes effect in mid-October. And some school and social services provisions won’t take effect immediately – for instance, a requirement for all high poverty school districts to provide breakfasts will be phased in over three years.
