COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will be addressing lawmakers and Ohioans in his State of the State address Tuesday.
WHAT TO EXPECT THIS YEAR
DeWine is expected to lay out much of his budget plan and said there will be “no surprises.”
“Priorities are not changing; we are headed in the same direction,” he said. “It’s sort of like you’re in car and the only difference is we were going 50 MPH and when you look at the budget, we are trying to go 100 MPH.”
“For me, this is about making sure that we are making the right investments in people so that both our students, as well as those individuals in communities who have not yet experienced prosperity, has an opportunity to thrive here,” Representative Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said.
Investments in mental health are both a top priority for the DeWine Administration and a bipartisan issue at the Statehouse.
“Anything we continue to do to address the large mental health and behavioral health needs of not only our students but adults in our state is going to be beneficial and we have opportunities to lead in that area,” Russo said.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said “investing in people” will be a big theme during the 2023 State of the State. Husted said that ranges from more students graduating from high school to upscaling the current workforce so it can grow as technology changes the workplace.
“It’s really about making sure people have the skills and more job security,” Husted said. “That businesses have the talent they need so we can continue to grow Ohio and make us the go to state in the Midwest.”
“We’re investing in our people,” DeWine said. “Our goal is for every Ohioan to be able to live up to their God-given potential.”
WHAT WE HEARD LAST YEAR
Last year, DeWine said Ohio is the state to watch, saying he wants to make investments during his time as the state’s top official that will last for decades.
“Invest in things where the returns will not all be immediate,” he said. “And in many cases, we will not see results during this administration or even in our lifetime, yet we still must act.”
In last year’s State of the State address, DeWine put an emphasis on the need to expand mental health resources and research. DeWine and Husted have stayed committed to that throughout the year.
“We can resolve to change the course of history moving forward by making help visible, accessible and effective in the state of Ohio,” DeWine said during last year’s State of the State.
Other topics the governor talked about last year include the demolition of old buildings.
“Together we’re investing in our neighborhoods to demolish dangerous, decaying, unsightly buildings and to clean up hazardous brownfield properties to spur economic development,” DeWine said in 2022.
Days before the 2023 State of the State, the governor announced support to get rid of more than 600 abandoned buildings to make room for development.
The governor also said he would double down on his support for law enforcement and move forward with legislation to decrease distracted driving, two things he has done.
Something the governor said he would do is reinvest in the beauty of Ohio’s state parks, but he just signed into bill into law that will allow fracking in those parks.
Last year at the time of the State of the State, the unemployment rate was 4.3%, something DeWine described as “near historic lows.” As of December, that state’s unemployment rate is 4.2%.
