Ohio Governor John Kasich has vetoed a proposal to increase death benefits and insurance coverage for the families of slain public safety officers after lawmakers inserted into the bill an increase in elected officials' pay.
In a veto message Friday, Kasich called the bill's initial intent "very praiseworthy." But he said he couldn't "support or condone the last-minute rush to include a controversial pay raise" without adequate public debate. Kasich urged lawmakers to send the original bill to his successor, Republican Governor-elect Mike DeWine, when the new session begins in January. He added that if legislators want a pay raise, it should be contained in a stand-alone bill that's "introduced and debated in an open and deliberative process." The veto is among several that Ohio lawmakers may try to override next week.