COLUMBUS — Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday used his second-to-last State of the State address to point to what he said are Ohio's successes on his watch while again promoting the “unfinished business” for what he characterized as its real legacy, its children.
“My fellow citizens of Ohio, the state of our state is strong. Ohio is strong," he told a packed Statehouse chamber of lawmakers, Supreme Court justices, and other public officials.
In his 70-minute-plus speech he called for the General Assembly to outright ban student cell phones in schools and urged employers to welcome trained former inmates into the fold once they've paid their debts to society. He called for expanded access to social studies, civics education, and history in the earliest grades of school.
And he worked in a football metaphor or two when talking about how he's asked his new lieutenant governor, champion former Ohio State University coach Jim Tressel, to lead an effort to fine-tune workplace development for jobs of the future.
“I have to do a couple of these, guys,” Mr. DeWine said with a smile.
When he delivers his last address in 2026, Ohio will already be in the throes of the campaign to replace the governor, and his remarks will undoubtedly be viewed through that lens.
He took a figurative lap around the state to tout the big, attention-grabbing economic gets, starting first in northwest Ohio where First Quality Tissue is making the biggest investment in the history of Defiance County, creating 400 jobs at a new plant.
Except for a brief scare during the pandemic, Mr. DeWine has generally benefited from budget surpluses that have been at least partly fueled by one-time federal dollars. He warned this budget cycle will be closer to “normal.”
As the Republican spoke, the state was sitting on tax coffers that are $431.4 million, or 2.3 percent, larger than projected for this point eight months into the fiscal year.
His proposed $91 billion, two-year general fund budget contains no across-the-board tax cuts. That’s something usually added along the way by lawmakers.
But he used his speech instead to help sell the lawmakers in front of him each of his proposed targeted tax increases:
● A $1.50 hike in the cigarette tax to $3.10 a pack and comparable increases in other tobacco products to finance a tax credit of up to $1,000 for each child age 6 and younger, depending on family income.
“This will help parents fund child care or health care, pay for groceries, diapers, rent, any other costs,” the governor said. “It will help them as they create the family of their dreams. It will help Ohio get more parents onto our work force team.”
● A doubling of the tax on adult recreational marijuana sales to 20 percent to fund a menu of things like drivers’ training, local jail construction, police training, addiction services, suicide prevention, and poison control.
“With the support of the General Assembly in allocating a permanent revenue stream, all Ohio high schools will have the opportunity to receive funding to make driver training available to their students,” Mr. DeWine said. “We’re going to make driver training affordable. We’re going to bring it directly to students. We’re going to enable teenagers to get jobs and internships. And we are going to save lives.”
● A doubling to 40 percent of the tax on the fledgling sports gaming industry to help pay for professional sports facilities and youth sports activities.
“My proposed increase on online sports gaming companies will allow us to do this and also allow us to help kids afford to play sports and participate in other activities in their schools,” Mr. DeWine said. “Many times, the opportunity to participate in sports, or theater, band, and other activities are, frankly, the only things kids are excited about and in some cases the only thing keeping them in school.”
The governor's fellow Republicans were much quieter than Democrats in their reactions on the floor to some of his proposals.
"Democrats stood up and applauded quite a bit...," Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D., Lakewood) said. "There were a little hootin' and hollerin' going on actually over some of the things that we heard, especially when we heard pro-family policies..."
But they didn't hear anything about property tax relief back home and what Democrats see as a hole in how the state would fund K-12 schools in his budget.
Senate President Rob McColley (R., Napoleon) said he believes lawmakers can address the governor’s "unfinished business" while still potentially pursuing more tax cuts.
"It's a balancing of priorities," he said. "Certainly, one of our priorities ... is to make Ohio the best state to live, work, raise a family, and run a business. Certainly, one of the key elements in running a business is the cost that you have to pay, chief among them, in many cases, is your tax burden."
Throughout the speech, Mr. DeWine pointed to specific persons who, he said, personally represent the success stories of programs he has championed.
Among those was Kelsi Weaver, who has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy.
“[Opportunities for Ohioans with Disability] has provided her with the essential career assessments, assistive technology, and job readiness training that have ultimately enabled her to complete her college degree and pursue her passion for helping others,” he said.
“Today, Kelsi lives in Waterville in Lucas County and works as a social worker at Clearwater Council of Governments...,” Mr. DeWine said. “I’m very proud of you, Kelsi.”
The governor has faced criticism for his budget’s handling of the final installment of the six-year phase-in of a K-12 schools funding formula. As proposed, the plan holds $103 million less over two years for traditional public schools, with more than half of the state’s 609 districts facing decreases.
At the same time, his budget proposal increases funding for vouchers for parents to send children to private and religious schools with many of those students never having attended a traditional public school.
He wrapped his speech by pointing to the state’s legacy.
“What is it? It is our children,” Mr. DeWine said. “It is our grandchildren. It is our great-grandchildren. It’s also what we prioritize and the investments we make. ... For they are our future. They are our hope for tomorrow, and they will become Ohio’s legacy.”
First Published March 12, 2025, 5:58 p.m.
