This week, the state presented its plans to spend $700 million on local projects throughout Ohio and passed another big-budget bill to address infant and maternal health, areas the state has long lagged in. This plus much more below. If you have any tips, comments, or questions, I’d love to hear them. You can reach me at 614-981-1422, avery.kreemer@coxinc.com or @AveryKreemer on X. You can also follow our political coverage on our website and through our Ohio Politics Facebook page. Ohio spent nearly $1B on vouchers. Who did they benefit? • The story: In six area counties, the state’s issuance of private school vouchers went up by more than 300% last school year. However, enrollment into local private schools only went up by 3.7%, indicating that most of those vouchers went to students already enrolled in private schools. • The background: This Dayton Daily News report comes at the end of the first school year under Ohio’s new, drastically expanded private school voucher system, meant to allow more Ohioans to access private school education. Under it, students from families up to 450% of the federal poverty level can receive full vouchers, which translates to $8,408 for high school students and $6,166 for K-8 students. Wealthier families receive smaller stipends. • Reaction: Proponents of the system say it’s beneficial to lessen the burden and note that the voucher system did indeed bring lower-income Ohioans into private schools, but critics say the system mainly serves to redistribute tax dollars to families who don’t need it. Nearly $90M is expected to go toward nearby projects in $700M state spending bill • The story: The Ohio legislature has unveiled its proposal on how to spend a $700 million pot of money that was set aside for local projects throughout the state — $89.8 million of that will go to nearby counties. • Details: The proposal isn’t yet set in stone, but lawmakers are optimistic that it’ll get done before the end of the month. If that’s the case, more than 60 projects in and around Montgomery County will receive state funds. • Background: The $700 million pot of money — which most are willing to agree will have a huge effect on the state as a whole — has been heralded as the result of conservative budgeting, but Democrats are eager to point out that it was also enabled by an influx of billions of federal dollars approved by President Joe Biden in the American Rescue Plan Act. Local political news of the week • $277k went with Wendt: Vandalia cited communication issues with outgoing City Manager Dan Wendt as the two agreed to a $277,000 severance package. Wendt spent more than three years on the job. Aimee Hancock has the full story. • Dayton considers extra $5 auto registration fee: The city of Dayton is considering increasing its permissive tax on motor vehicle registrations by $5 to generate additional revenue for road and infrastructure improvements. Cory Frolik has the full story. • Greene County gets state water grant: Greene County was awardeda $2.5 million grant to develop a 57-acre property into a groundwater-producing wellfield. Here’s my story. State political news of the week • Ohio bill puts $35M toward infant, maternal health: The Ohio House put its money where its mouth is this week with a bill that sponsor and local Rep. Andrea White, R-Kettering, hopes will “truly move the needle” to combat Ohio’s dreadful maternal and infant mortality rates. Here’s my story. • Nurses push for harsher penalties against spitters: Nurses told the Ohio House Public Health Policy Committee this week that they want the physical act of spitting on hospital workers to be a felony, not just a misdemeanor. Sam Wildow has the full story. • Lawmakers want amendment to cap property tax bumps: Two Republican lawmakers have angled for the legislature to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot this November to to limit property tax increases any given year to no more than 4%, though there’s no time to actually get it on the ballot. Denise Callahan has the story. National political news of the week • J.D. Vance enhances V.P. chance: Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance is among the final three contenders still being considered by former President Donald Trump as a running mate option, according to ABC News. Lynn Hulsey breaks down the story. • Biden’s son convicted of felony gun crimes: Hunter Biden was convicted of all three felony charges for lying on a gun-purchase form in 2018 by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. The Associated Press has the story. • Supreme Court win for abortion-rights: A unanimous Supreme Court decision on Thursday preserved access to a medication that was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year. The Associated Press has the full story. | 
