The Ohio House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed Ohio House Substitute Bill 2 on February 7, 2024, a $2 billion dollar infrastructure bill that among other things, appropriated half of the new $700 million general revenue-funded One-Time Strategic Community Investment Fund, that was established in last year’s state budget. Journalists and Capitol Square lobbyists have taken to calling it the “super duper fund” because the funds are more flexible and freer from the constraints typical of capital budget funds, such as bondability requirements.
The Super Duper Fund passed the Ohio House with overwhelming bipartisan support, but Senate consideration comes in late spring
Ohio House Bill 2 moved quickly through the legislative process. House Speaker Jason Stephens announced February 6 that the House would amend the One-Time Strategic Community Investment funds into HB2 and move quickly to pass it. The very next morning the legislation cleared the Ohio House Finance Committee after only hearing testimony from the two cosponsors Reps. Al Cutrona (R- Canfield) and Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland). Later that afternoon the legislation moved to the House floor where it got quick consideration and passed overwhelmingly with both Republican and Democrat votes.But before the legislation had even cleared the Ohio House floor, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman released a memo to members of the Ohio Senate saying “It has come to my attention through various conversations that the House believes there is an agreement with the Senate on House Bill 2, the spending bill, that was brought to the floor by the Speaker today. To be clear, there is no such agreement. The bill passed by the House did not include negotiations or discussions with members of the Senate or with the Senate President.” He went on to say that the Senate would follow its own timeline of addressing the One-Time Strategic Community Investment Fund later in the spring with the goal of passing a final bill in May or early June.
The struggle over Speaker of the House impacts the spending bill
It is important to realize that the process to allocate strategic investment and or capital funds is occurring against the backdrop of an ongoing struggle over who will be Speaker of the Ohio House in the next Ohio General Assembly. This explains some of the dynamics between the Speaker and the Senate President. We may have a clearer idea of who that next Speaker will be once we have the March primary election behind us, but the outcome might not be entirely clear until after the general election next fall.Cuyahoga County agencies received $4 million in Ohio Substitute House Bill 2Six Cuyahoga County health and human service agencies were awarded funding.
- Birthing Beautiful Communities Birth Center $400,000
- Hospice of the Western Reserve Center for Community Engagement and Hospice Care $500,000
- Magnolia Club House $400,000
- Music Settlement $500,000
- YMCA of Greater Cleveland $1,800,000
- YWCA of Greater Cleveland $500,000
Three of these projects, Hospice of the Western Reserve Center for Community Engagement and Hospice Care, Magnolia Club House, and the YWCA of Greater Cleveland had received the backing of the Greater Cleveland Funders Collaborative for inclusion in the state capital budget at the end of last year.
The Ohio Senate Finance Chair Matt Dolan is still asking for projects to be submitted to his office no later than April 8, 2024.
So, what happens next?
Not much until after the March primary election is over (although between now and then is an excellent time to meet with legislators when they are back home and on the campaign trail). The Ohio Senate Finance Chair Matt Dolan is still asking for projects to be submitted to his office no later than April 8, 2024. Legislative timelines, deadlines, tips, and key individuals are spelled out in a prior Community Solutions how-to article for pursuing state capital funds. Finally, if your project was not included in House Bill 2, do not despair, there is still plenty of time to make your case on why your project should be funded in the upcoming capital process.
