Rep. Mathews Votes in Support of Republican House Budget Bill, Approving Pro-Family Policy and Stewardship for Ohioans

From Ohio House Republican Communications

LEBANON, OH -- State Representative Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) voted in support of Am. Sub. House Bill 96 – the House’s version of the State Operating Budget. This forward-looking, fiscally responsible budget plan invests in Ohio families and the state’s future – expanding school choice, ensuring that every school district in the state receives an increase in school funding in fiscal years 2026 and 2027, and promoting housing development.

“I am thankful for the Speaker and my colleagues in the House for their collaborative work to achieve a pro-family, pro-housing, and fiscally responsible budget that will continue moving Ohio forward,” said Mathews. “We were sent to Columbus to be good stewards of our state and our constituents’ tax dollars, and this budget continues to fulfill this responsibility.”

Rep. Mathews drafted and championed numerous amendments included in this budget including

• A new $750 tax credit for contribution to pregnancy resource centers
• $5 million in grant funding to local governments that adopt certain pro-housing policies under a new Housing Accelerator program aimed at boosting housing construction in Ohio
• Preventing misuse of Medicaid dollars to fund gender transition
• Cleanup language to close tax loopholes used to unfairly increase homeowners’ property taxes

EMPOWERING SCHOOL CHOICE

House Bill 96 continues the state’s commitment to school choice by increasing the maximum award for the Autism Scholarship and Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship while also establishing an option for parents whose children attend a non-chartered non-public school to utilize an education savings account to help with the cost of their education. The bill also expands the home school expense tax credit to apply to each student, increasing support for home school families.

SUPPORTING OHIO FAMILIES

To help families who need assistance paying for childcare, the budget establishes the Child Care Choice program, providing $100 million each fiscal year for eligible families, helping more Ohioans cover the cost of needed child care services. House Bill 96 also increases funding for the Help Me Grow program, which helps pregnant women, caregivers with new babies, and families with young children and children with developmental delays and disabilities have access to early intervention, developmental screenings, and more.

DELIVERING IN TAX RELIEF TO OHIO FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES

To continue the House’s efforts to simplify Ohio’s property tax system and prevent unintended property tax increases, House Bill 96 cleans up loopholes in the property valuation process to prevent unfair valuation complaints against homeowners meant to increase their taxes. The bill also lowers the severance tax on coal by 20% to encourage energy production in Ohio.

REVITALIZING LOCAL COMMUNITIES

House Bill 96 will continue and enhance various state initiatives that help solidify Ohio as the best place in the nation to live, work, raise a family and start a business. The bill creates a new Housing Accelerator program to provide grants to local governments that adopt policies aimed at boosting housing construction. It also increases funding for Brownfield Remediation, further improves the Welcome Home Ohio program, and helps address the housing shortage across our state.

PROMOTING MEDICAID TRANSPARENCY

In an effort to promote transparency in the Medicaid program, the bill works to protect taxpayer dollars and eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse through a number of provisions, creating a variety of new reporting requirements that the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) must provide to the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee (JMOC) for review. The bill also prevents misuse of Medicaid dollars to support counseling services that promote gender transition.

BOOSTING FUNDING FOR OHIO’S SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES

House Bill 96 prioritizes the education and well-being of students, ensuring that every school district in the State of Ohio receives an increase in funding over the next biennium.

Compared to today, this budget provides public schools with $207.6 million more in FY26 than they received in FY25, and in FY27, that increases to $347.6 million above their FY25 support. This equates to a $555.2 million increase in state aid for public schools over the coming biennium. Additionally, under the House plan, every student in Ohio will receive more per-pupil funding from the state.

House Bill 96 also increases state funding for public libraries across the state by over $7.2 million across the biennium. Under this bill, Warren County libraries receive an additional $281,000 in funding over the next two years.

PRIORITIZING WORKFORCE READINESS AND HIGHER EDUCATION IN OHIO

This budget makes a marked effort to prioritize workforce readiness in Ohio, investing in various higher education programs such as the Governor’s Merit Scholarship, the Choose Ohio First Scholarship, and an increase in the State Share of Instruction by 2%, helping lower costs for students at Ohio’s state institutions of higher education. The bill also continues support for Ohio’s TechCred program, which allows employers to upskill current or future employees at no cost to them.

House Bill 96 now goes to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

More News from Lebanon

• Public Hearing Set Prior to Springboro Council's Regularly Scheduled Meeting Springboro's April 17th Public Hearing is regarding an ordinance containing amendment to the Planning & Zoning Code
• House Energy and Commerce Committee Overwhelmingly Passes Landsman’s Bipartisan Bill Landsman’s Bipartisan Bill to Increase Foreign Investment in U.S. Semiconductor Industry passes House Energy and Commerce Committee