Earlier this afternoon, the Senate Finance Committee accepted its substitute bill for the state operating budget (House Bill 96). These are the first changes made by the Senate to the budget.
The Association has five priority areas for this budget: child welfare, indigent defense, Next Generation 9-1-1, child care, and county jail funding. The first table below shows the status of key provisions in the five priority areas as of today's Senate substitute bill.
The following tables contain similar status updates for non-prority area amendment requests and for other key policy areas of note to counties.
Additional details and a complete analysis of the substitute bill will be contained in this week’s Statehouse Report. If you have questions about any provision of the budget, please contact policy@ccao.org.
| CCAO Priority Areas | |
| Budget Provision | Senate Substitute Bill Status |
| Child Welfare | |
| Maintain PCSA funding at $180 million in SFY 2026 and $185 million in SFY 2027. | Funded at $162 million in SFY 2026 and $170 million in SFY 2027. This is a $22 million increase over the current biennium. |
| Maintain Regional Child Wellness Campus funding at $20 million in SFY 2026 and $10 million in SFY 2027. | Fully eliminated |
| Maintain language that establishes a process for the Department of Children and Youth to increase cost transparency and predictability for placement costs. | Maintained |
| Indigent Defense | |
| Maintain Northwest Regional Hub indigent defense pilot program funding and implementation. | Maintained |
| Provide additional resources for county indigent defense reimbursement. The House-Passed version provides $218.4 million in SFY 2026 and $223.6 million in SFY 2027. | Funding reduced to Executive proposal ($173.7 million in SFY 2026 and $178.9 million in SFY 2027) |
| Remove provision creating a cap of the hourly rate for which indigent defense costs can be reimbursed. | Removed |
| Next Generation 9-1-1 | |
| Increase the NG 9-1-1 access fee to $1.25 per month. | No increase, fee remains at the House's increase to $0.60 per month. The Senate modified the existing distribution formula to increase the share of revenue going to counties |
| Child Care | |
| Increase initial eligibility for publicly funded childcare to 160% of the federal poverty level. | No change, remains at 145% for initial eligibility |
| Provide a total of $225 million over the biennium for the Child Care Choice Voucher Program. | Funding remains at the House version, at $100 million in each SFY |
| County Jails | |
| Maintain the requirement that the state apply for a Medicaid 1115 Waiver to allow Medicaid funds be used for certain to cover the medical costs associated with pre-trail inmates in the county jail | Provision removed |
| Maintain the reappropriation of $75 million for jail projects that was originally appropriated in the 135th General Assembly. | Maintained |
| Provide an ongoing funding stream for county jail projects through an appropriation of the marijuana excise tax revenue, totaling $62.4 million in SFY 2026 and $92.5 million in SFY 2027 | Not included |
| Other CCAO Amendment Requests | |
| Provision | Senate Substitute Bill Status |
|
Authority to dissolve county family and children first councils. CCAO opposes this provision. |
Provision removed |
|
SNAP administrative changes to require monthly change reporting. CCAO opposes this provision. |
Provision removed |
|
Appropriate an additional $1 million for Senior Community Services in each SFY 2026 and SFY 2027. CCAO supports this appropriation |
Not included, and appropriation reduced by $150,000 in each year. |
|
Allow certain counties to use up to 67% of lodging tax revenue for select other purposes. CCAO supports adding this authority. |
Partial, allows CVBs in certain counties to spend lodging tax revenue for public safety services, economic development, or infrastructure that may impact tourism. Additionally, a separate change allows boards of commissions to increase lodging tax by up to 1%, provided the aggregate rate does not exceed 5%, to use for safety services in a designated resort area. |
|
Appropriate $20 million in SFY 2026 to the H2Ohio program to assist local governments and property owners in removing fallen ash trees from waterways. CCAO supports this appropriation. |
Not included |
|
Revise the board of county commissioners involvement on the county budget commission by providing the board the authority to select the representative, rather than requiring the board president to serve. CCAO supports this revision. |
Not included |
| Other Provisions of Note to Counties | |
| Provision | Senate Substitute Bill Status |
| Changing the county coroner to a position appointed by the board of county commissioners. | Maintained |
| Increasing county elected official compensation by 5% annually through 2029 and then onwards by the lesser of 3% or an inflation measure. | Maintained |