COLUMBUS — Ohio’s two-year transportation budget is quietly cruising toward a vote in the House of Representatives as soon as Wednesday after lawmakers removed controversial language affecting voter registration.
The House Finance Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to forward the spending plan for maintaining what Ohio has and building out what it does not to the full House.
The unanimous vote reflected, in part, the removal of controversial language that would have required Bureau of Motor Vehicles registrars to demand proof of citizenship of their customers before offering them the chance to register to vote.
Instead, the language simply prohibits registrars from making that offer when they can see in their own records that the customer is not a citizen.
“Put the onus back on the BMV,” said Rep. Brian Stewart (R., Ashville), committee chairman. “Look at your own records, and don’t kind of create a trap for people inadvertently where you’re saying, ‘Hey, would you like to register to vote?’ when, if you are looking closely at your system, you know they’re not eligible.”
BMVs are one of several government agencies at which Ohioans may register to vote.
“Voting laws should not be part of the transportation budget ...,” said Kelly Dufour of government watchdog Common Cause Ohio. “We know our elections are safe and secure.”
The transportation budget must reach Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk by April 1 so the state may begin spending the money on July 1. It is separate from debate over the broader general fund budget that must pass by June 30.
The plan totals $11.5 billion across multiple agencies, $9.6 billion of which is earmarked for the Ohio Department of Transportation.
This plan is smaller than the current transportation budget, which was swollen by a massive upfront investment in a new bridge paralleling the Brent Spence Bridge carrying I-71 and I-75 over the Ohio River at Cincinnati as well as one-time federal coronavirus and infrastructure dollars.
Rep. Michele Grim (D., Toledo) is ranking Democrat on the House Transportation Committee and a member of Finance.
“We got an additional $30 million for work force mobility, for public transportation to get people to and from work,” she said. “That’s been an issue in the state. I think that’s a big win.”
The plan also appropriates $1 million for a pilot program to provide vouchers to low-income Ohioans to use private transit. ODOT would have to issue a report on the program’s effectiveness by the end of next year.
“We have some folks that are going to ride the bus, and we have some folks who might say, ‘Well, if I had the option to get an Uber, I might prefer that to riding the bus’ ...,” Mr. Stewart said. “The point of public transportation ideally is to get folks who need transportation to where they need to be.”
It contains no increases in motor fuel taxes, but ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn has warned that inflation has eroded the buying power of the gas tax six years after the last hike.
The state expects to raise $1.6 billion a year through motor fuel taxes. Federal funding makes up about 45 percent of ODOT spending.
Mr. DeWine and lawmakers last increased the gas tax by 10.5 cents a gallon in 2019, bringing it to 38.5 cents. The governor does not recommend an increase in this budget, and Mr. Stewart said there is no appetite in this General Assembly for a hike.
At a glance, the transportation budget would also:
● Appropriate $25,000 a year to rejoin the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact at a time when the state is studying the feasibility of two potential corridors — Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit and Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati.
● Reverse course on providing for enhanced driver’s licenses and state identification cards.
● Raise the threshold that triggers competitive bidding from $50,000 to $250,000 for Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission and Regional Transit Authority projects.
First Published February 25, 2025, 6:42 p.m.
