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Ohio Senate Approves State Budget Bill

Ohio Public Radio

The Ohio Senate has approved it's version of the two-year state budget bill. The measure now goes to a conference committee to work out differences between the Senate and House versions. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.

The Senate budget cut $200 million from Medicaid and about 4% of government funding across the board. This was to finish filling a $1 billion budget gap due to a revenue shortfall.
 
Democrats have been pushing to get rid of a small business tax cut that they say would generate enough money to fill the gap and pay for other services.
 
But Republican Senator Matt Huffman of Lima says this money doesn’t belong to the state but to business owners.
 
Huffman: “It’s either gonna be spent, it’s gonna be saved or it’s gonna be given away. Now when they spend it, that’s good for the economy all those other folks, their businesses are better. And by the way there’s other taxes that are being collected sales taxes, excise taxes, commercial activity tax.”
 
The Legislature now has until the end of the month to get a bill to Governor John Kasich before the new fiscal year begins.

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