Women's Public Policy Network

Ohio

State Budget Priorities

The Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network Outlines an Ohio Budget That Supports, Prioritizes, and Invests in Women and Their Families

One of the most crucial undertakings by Governor DeWine and the 134th General Assembly (2021 – 2022) is to draft and implement a two-year biennial operating budget for the state of Ohio. The state budget is a reflection of the funding and policy priorities for the future of Ohio and our communities. It impacts the quality of life of women, children, and families.

Throughout the operating budget deliberations, the Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network has been working to urge the governor and the state legislature to enact a budget that supports, prioritizes, and invests in women. We will continue to be a strong advocate for women and families as the process continues.

Engagement Opportunities from WPPN:

  • Budget Testimony: Senate Finance Committee, May 13, 2021 – Focuses on: (1) Increase funding support to address the affordability of high-quality housing, particularly for Black women who experience disproportionately higher rates of eviction; (2) Utilize resources and funding to reduce incarceration and prison overcrowding, focusing the programs on community-based rehabilitation; (3) Designate funding for services and programs related to maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, with a focus on addressing racial and ethnic inequalities facing Black women and women of color; (4) Boost investments to services and programs in the state of Ohio that support survivors and victims of sexual and domestic violence, specifically the Rape Crisis Fund (RCF) and the Ohio Domestic Violence (DV) Program
  • Advocacy Alert: Letter Writing Campaign – Tell your Ohio lawmakers to enact a budget that invests in Ohio women and their families

Budget Report – Key Priorities:

The key investments and policies that we outline within the report are crucial to the lives and futures of Ohio women, families, and communities. As the budget bill moves through the Conference Committee, where members will decide upon the final budget bill language, lawmakers must make the investments in women and families, including:

Maintain:

  • Maintain the $2,250,000 in FY 2022 for DEV, in coordination with DOH, to support stable housing initiatives for pregnant mothers and to improve maternal and infant health outcomes (Included in Executive, House, and Senate versions)
  • Maintain the $1,375,000 allocated to expand targeted RECLAIM, the Behavioral Health Juvenile Justice Initiative, and other evidence-based programs of community-based rehabilitation (Included in Executive, House, and Senate versions)
  • Maintain the extension of Medicaid eligibility for pregnant people to provide continuous coverage for up to 12-months postpartum (Included in Senate version)
  • Maintain the provision to increase initial eligibility for publicly funded child care aid to set it to at 142% of the federal poverty level (FPL), and at 150% of the FPL for children with disabilities (Included in Senate version)
  • Maintain the investment made to the state’s Rape Crisis Fund to allocate $10 million per fiscal year (Included in the Senate version)
  • Maintain the investment made to the state’s Domestic Violence Program to allocate $5 million per fiscal year ($5 million per fiscal year included in Senate version)

Add:

  • Add a refundable option to the state Earned Income Tax Credit at 10% of the federal EITC (Not included in any version)
  • Add a provision allowing for Medicaid and private insurance coverage of doula and midwife services (Not included in any version)
  • Add an expansion of the Paid Leave program for workers employed by the state of Ohio from 6 weeks of parental leave to 12 weeks of parental, caregiving, and personal medical leave (Not included in any version)

Remove:

  • Remove the $6 million per fiscal year of funds from TANF allocated to the Ohio Parenting and Pregnancy Program, also known as “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” (Included in House and Senate versions)
  • Remove restrictions on federal emergency dollars designated to Ohio through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) and the American Rescue Plan, focused on improving early learning programs (Included in Senate version)
  • Remove language that eliminates the requirement that an early childhood education program meet at least the third highest tier through the Step Up to Quality Program to provide services, effectively ending the Step Up to Quality Program (Included in Senate version)
  • Remove requirement for Ohio Department of Medicaid to use third-party data to conduct an eligibility redetermination of all Ohio Medicaid recipients within 60 days after the conclusion of the COVID-19 emergency period (Included in Senate version)
  • Remove the “license to discriminate” provision, allowing any medical professional to not provide any medical treatment that they have a moral, ethical, or religious objection to, which could impact abortion care, contraception, and health care for LGBTQ+ patients (Included in Senate version)
  • Remove language that changes the laws around the variance from a transfer agreement for an ambulatory surgical facility, which could impact abortion clinics in Cincinnati and Dayton (Included in Senate version)

Ohio State Budget Priorities