David Skolnick

A bill approved by the Ohio House to spend $350 million for projects throughout the state is far from a done deal.

That’s because the state Senate disagrees with the House plan.

The bill approved last week by the House was part of a supposed agreement with the upper chamber in which each would spend $350 million for projects.

The money comes from $700 million the state has from unused federal COVID-19 funding and dollars Ohio didn’t spend from its general revenue fund because of the pandemic.

Money from the One Time Strategic Community Investment Fund was going to pay for projects.

The House bill included $4,924,650 for 12 projects in Mahoning County and $2,075,350 for six projects in Trumbull County.

In addition to that, the bill had $10.7 million for Youngstown State University: $9.75 million for a new student center and the rest for information technology infrastructure upgrades and renovations.

The day after the House vote, state Sen. Sandra O’Brien, R-Lenox, whose district includes Trumbull County, had a letter forwarded to me from Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima.

The letter starts: “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.”

Huffman’s letter added: “Approving a large spending bill without additional debate would be irresponsible and an abdication of the duties of the Senate. Normally, both chambers work together to create an agreed-upon bill. For unknown reasons, the House chose to break from that process.”

Huffman wrote that the Senate will continue with a timeline it announced in December for the $700 million and the capital budget, which also funds community projects, “with the goal of both chambers passing a single agreed-upon bill later in May or early June.”

The House approved the bill in a 75-19 vote with a number of Republican opponents to House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, voting against it. Among them was state Rep. Nick Santucci, R-Howland.

There is definite friction between Stephens and a majority of House Republicans who didn’t vote for him as speaker. Stephens won by creating an alliance with the Democratic majority and 21 of his fellow House Republicans.

Stephens and the other 21 Republicans who voted for him were censured in January 2023 by the Ohio Republican Party.

Among those censured were Al Cutrona, R-Canfield; Mike Loychik, R-Bazetta; and Monica Robb Blasdel, R-Columbiana.

The Ohio Republican Party a couple of weeks ago chose not to endorse Cutrona and Robb Blasdel even though both are running unopposed in the party’s March 19 primary. It was a symbolic gesture to show their displeasure. The party will back them in the general election.

The party also endorsed O’Brien over Loychik in the primary for the 32nd Ohio Senate District race though it was almost certainly going to support O’Brien as the incumbent regardless of her challenger.

There are also issues between Stephens and Huffman.

Huffman is term limited in the state Senate and is running for an Ohio House seat. After he is elected, Huffman will run for House speaker against Stephens.

Stephens again will have to rely on the support of House Democrats to have a fighting chance to retain the speaker’s position against Huffman, who will have the backing of a majority of Republicans.

All of this Republican political infighting could jeopardize funding for projects throughout the state.

Cutrona, who was the bill’s co-sponsor, helped get nearly $5 million for the Mahoning County projects.

That includes $1.5 million for an Animal Charity of Ohio infrastructure expansion, $875,000 for the West Branch school district’s Regional Community Education and Wellness Training Center, $750,000 for the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s new downtown Youngstown building, and $660,000 for a Campbell access and safety project.

Trumbull County didn’t get as much as Mahoning, but the $2,075,350 certainly will help.

That includes $500,000 for renovations to Eastwood Field in Niles, $350,000 to construct a community outdoor pavilion in downtown Cortland, $345,000 for a Bloomfield regional emergency medical services building to serve the northwest part of the county, and $330,350 to protect the water quality at Mosquito Lake State Park.

dskolnick@vindy.com