COLUMBUS—The Ohio Senate has passed their version of the 2021 Ohio State biennial budget. With common-sense and innovative policies that benefit everyone from kids to taxpayers, this proposed budget is clearly a win for all Ohioans.

The following statement is from Aaron Baer, the President of Center for Christian Virtue, Ohio's largest Christian public policy organization formerly known as Citizens for Community Values.

"The Ohio Senate has passed a budget that protects life, safeguards religious conscience, and significantly expands educational opportunities for Ohio families. It’s unlike any budget we have ever seen," said Aaron Baer, President of Center for Christian Virtue. "We are so grateful for Senate President Matt Huffman, Senator Matt Dolan, and the entire Ohio Senate for their courageous stand for life, family, and freedom.

"We urge all members of the House and Senate to support and pass this budget, not only because of the solid budget proposed within it, but because the policies included will benefit all Ohioans."

This budget includes amazing wins on a variety of fronts. The Senate's proposed amended budget:

School Choice

• Significantly expands the scope of the EdChoice Scholarship program, giving Ohio students greater access to the schools of their choice.

  • Increases the value of EdChoice Scholarships for eligible families to use at the private school of their choice to $5,500 in grades K-8 and $7,500 in grades 9-12.

  • Removes the cap that had previously existed on the number of available scholarships.

  • Expands access to the EdChoice Scholarships to foster care.

• Offers state tax credits that expand school choice access.

  • Grants up to a $2,500 tax credit to families on the payment of tuition to a non-chartered non-public school.

  • Permits up to a $1000 tax credit for contributions to a Scholarship Granting Organization which provides scholarships to students at a school of their choice.

  • Provides homeschooling families with up to a $250 tax credit on the purchase of supplies and texts.

• Increases the value of the Autism scholarship to $31,500 and the value of the Jon Peterson scholarship to between $1,708 and $27,750, depending on the category.

• Allows students who successfully depart from their Autism or Jon Peterson scholarship to qualify for an EdChoice Scholarship, regardless of their district of residence.

• Stipulates that the EdChoice and Cleveland scholarship programs are funded directly through the School Foundation formula instead of deducting the funds from local district allocations.

Streamlining Funding

• Eliminates a layer of costly bureaucracy by permitting all private schools to receive auxiliary services funding directly from the state rather than passing through their local school districts.

Transportation

• Increases payment in lieu of transportation to families who do not receive district transportation from $250 to $538.

  • Prohibits the use of mass transit for grades K-8 and limits the number of transfers for grades 9-12.

School Curriculum

• Increase funding for Sexual Risk Avoidance education from $500,00 per year to $1,000,000 per year.

• Requires that Ohio Department of Education audit additions to any district’s sex education curriculum.

• Provides students with an Educational Scholarship Account of up to $500 to access tutoring, music, arts or STEM lessons, and historical field trip opportunities.

Life, Families, and Religious Freedom

• Requires that abortion clinics secure transfer agreements with hospitals that are within a 25-mile radius.

• Creates a 5% personal income tax cut.

• Allows for the creation of religious-based charter schools.

• Protects the rights of conscience of medical professionals to ensure they cannot be forced to perform medical procedures that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.

Urge your State Senator and Representative to pass the proposed Senate budget!

Click the button below to find your elected officials.

The budget now heads back to the Ohio House for a concurrence vote. If the House approves the Senate budget amendments, the budget will then head to Governor DeWine. If the House does not approve the budget, it will go to a Conference Committee composed of 3 House and 3 Senate members, who will work out the two Chambers' disagreements.

For more information, contact CCV at 513-733-5775 or info@ccv.org.

As Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel. 

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