(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued the following statement following the Ohio House of Representatives’ approval of House Bill 62, the biennial transportation budget, by a vote of 71-27:
“With a constitutional budget deadline facing us on April 1, I want to thank Speaker Householder and Leader Sykes, Chair Oelslager and Ranking Member Cera, and members of the House for taking swift action to begin to address a looming crisis in transportation funding.
“The House-passed bill is far from ideal, but I appreciate the strong bipartisan acknowledgement that our state and local jurisdictions have a major revenue shortage to deal with vital transportation needs.
“I am very open to dialogue with the legislature on this issue, but I continue to believe that our proposal as introduced provides the money it takes to do the job right. I plan to work with the Senate to improve the House-passed bill and work toward a final agreement that funds vital maintenance, new construction, promotes jobs, makes our state more competitive, and enhances safety for the driving public.”