State Representative Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana) (Courtesy Photo). LISBON, Ohio — If state Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel and her Republican colleagues have their way, Ohio’s next biannual budget will be lean, mean and $4 billion short of what Gov. Mike DeWine had in mind.
She shared the House’s no-frills approach to state spending at the Columbiana County Farm Bureau Legislative Breakfast on April 18, where elected officials offered updates on legislation and key issues facing Ohio’s farming communities. Held at the First United Methodist Church in Lisbon, the event highlighted state developments on agriculture, energy, taxation and budgeting.
Robb Blasdel opened the morning with an overview of the state’s operating budget, calling the experience of helping to draft it “very transparent.” She noted that the House’s version, which passed the House 60-39 on April 9, is $4 billion less than DeWine’s proposal.
Robb Blasdel attributed funding shifts to the loss of federal dollars, while emphasizing continued support for education, Medicaid and libraries.
At the breakfast, she highlighted continued investments in FFA and the allocation of $800,000 every fiscal year to cover up to half of the rental and equipment costs related to the staging of state and national livestock events at the Ohio Expo Center.
“We are continuing to invest in Ohio’s number one industrial development, and that’s the agriculture industry,” she said.
Robb Blasdel also emphasized support for the H2Ohio water quality initiative, calling its work on behalf of farmers a success.
“I know that’s been an important project to you all,” she said. Her comments at the time made no reference to proposed cuts of more than $120 million to H2Ohio over two years in the House budget, but she later addressed them more directly in a follow-up email.
“While the House Budget does reduce (Ohio Department of Agriculture) H2Ohio funding levels from FY24 and FY25, we hope to strike a balance between being fiscally responsible and continuing the important environmental work that H2Ohio was created to do,” she said.
Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo criticized the House Republicans’ proposed state budget, arguing it makes reckless cuts to essential services, without offering real help to everyday Ohioans.
“Republicans are using this budget process to cut popular and widely-supported Ohio programs that protect the health and well-being of our people and our water sources,” she said about the proposed cuts to H2Ohio funding, in a press release.
Addressing concerns over rising property taxes, Robb Blasdel said reforms are being handled separately through over 20 pending bills. On energy, she discussed House Bill 15 and Senate Bill 2, which aim to increase energy independence and lower prices by, among other things, requiring frequent rate reviews and allowing customers to receive refunds for incorrect charges. The bills also abolishes some subsidies, encourages private investment through tax breaks and expands power generation prospects for some customers.
“I’ve had conversations with a few of you in this room about the need for more affordable energy,” she said. “The goal of those bills are to further the goal of energy independence, strengthen the free market process and … increase (energy) generation here in the state of Ohio, and to transition to lower energy costs.”
With that, she ended her remarks, thanking those in attendance for being involved members of the farm bureau and active in agriculture.
The legislative breakfast next featured updates from county officials who emphasized the need to renew a 1% sales tax to sustain essential services, while others shared updates on farmland conservation, infrastructure, soil valuation and 4-H youth programming, among other topics discussed.