Society supports budget proposal to improve Ohio’s business climate

Gov. Mike DeWine’s “State of the State address,” on Tuesday highlighted the FY24-25 budget proposal focusing on family, education, economic development and more.   

“On behalf of CPAs across Ohio, The Ohio Society of CPAs applauds Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted for their vision to make Ohio an even better state in which to live, work and grow a business,” said Scott Wiley, President & CEO of OSCPA. “Maintaining a stable, predictable tax climate, creating pathways for Ohio children to have the tools to succeed and get a good job, and focusing on critical housing and childcare needs for our growing workforce is key to driving Ohio’s economy.” 

While his speech covered several major policy areas, he front-loaded the address with a series of proposals focused on young people from birth through higher education. Those include the proposed new Department of Children and Youth Services. 

The new agency, he said, will focus on physical health for mothers and children; children’s behavioral health, including early identification and intervention; foster care; and early childhood education. 

Noting waitlists for career-tech schools across Ohio, DeWine said he is proposing $300 million for capital improvements and equipment for one-time upgrades to such programs. 

DeWine recounted a litany of major economic development projects during his administration, including the Intel semiconductor factories and the new Honda electric vehicle battery plant, while acknowledging the “what about us?” sentiment he encounters outside Central Ohio. A new, $2.5 billion “All Ohio Future Fund” will help other regions land such large investments, he said. 

“One of the reasons Intel is locating in Licking County is because the site was one of few in the state that could handle an economic development project of that magnitude. We simply don’t have enough shovel-ready, development-ready sites for the kind of calls we are getting from companies all over the world,” DeWine said. “If a manufacturer calls and says, ‘We need 400 acres with roads, water, gas and electricity,’ we need to have sites immediately available to show them now.”