Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed 67 line items when he signed the biennial state budget late Monday night, far more than his last three budgets and outnumbering former Gov. John Kasich’s four, too.
The early-morning veto messages left some state lawmakers rallying, online and off, for an override session.
DeWine struck down provisions on educational savings accounts for non-chartered religious schools and placement of gender and sexuality content at libraries, but leaders are most frustrated over his elimination of all of their property tax proposals.
Under House Bill 96, lawmakers wanted to set a 40% limit for how much money public school districts could possibly carry over year-to-year before county budget commissions issued refunds. HB 96 also enabled those commissioners the authority to lower levies and included certain levies in the calculation of the 20-mill floor, including emergency and substitute levies.
DeWine worried it would have been too much for schools to adjust to at once, he said.
“Everybody has a turn to make a move,” DeWine said. “I made my move, my move was to veto things that I thought were not good for the state of Ohio, and the legislature now has to do what they do.”
He instead suggested a state task force, even though the Ohio General Assembly has already convened a committee on the issue.
“We do have Ohioans who are hurting, and that’s very, very clear,” DeWine said.
Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) said in an interview that property owners are clamoring for relief, which is why he is advocating his colleagues overturn DeWine’s property tax vetoes.
“We have to get these reforms in for January’s tax bills. I don’t know how that looks ... but this is something we have to do,” Thomas said.
Calling lawmakers back could be a big ask, since most are in their districts for the summer. Neither chamber has a floor session scheduled before October. Since HB 96 and every budget before it was voted on as one package rather than in parts, there may not be broad consensus.
Still, in a statement, a spokesperson for House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) wrote that “our caucus is mindful of the urgency many Ohioans are feeling,” while a spokesperson for Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) wrote the legislature “needs to strongly consider acting.”
In seven years, lawmakers have reversed three of DeWine’s vetoes, only one of which was from the budget. Veto overrides need a three-fifths majority vote in each chamber.
