Statehouse News Bureau

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Senate Budget Would Keep Tax Credits, Cuts Income Taxes

By Andy Chow

Published June 11, 2019 at 9:33 PM EDT

Sen. Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, discusses changes to the budget bill. [Andy Chow / Statehouse News Bureau] — Sen. Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, discusses changes to the budget bill.

Ohio Senate Republicans made sweeping changes to the House version of the state budget, including larger tax cuts and restored tax breaks.

The Senate budget revives the small business income tax deduction on the first $250,000 earned. The House lowered that to the first $100,000.

It also brings back the film tax credit and diverts $125 million from school wraparound services to school choice vouchers.

When rolling out his budget plan, Gov. Mike DeWine said it was time for Ohio to invest in the state and not to create more tax cuts.

Senate President Larry Obhof (R-Medina) says he agrees with investing in the state but added that, "frankly the state is doing very well fiscally and we have the opportunity to do both. We’ve made significant investments across the board in this budget bill.”

The Senate's plan would cut income taxes across the board by 8% over the course of two years.

The substitute bill also put $172 million into DeWine's clean Lake Erie initiative known as H2Ohio and increases funding for multi-system youth in order to avoid child custody relinquishment.

Obhof says they plan to address academic distress commissions and high school graduation standards in future amendments.