A legislative conference committee has approved a deal seeking to settle key sticking points in the two-year state budget bill. The Ohio Senate is expected to approve the measure later today, with a House vote on Friday. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.
There's still a 6.3% income tax cut across the board along with fairly big cuts for
small businesses. The budget plan increases school funding by more than $900 million
while increasing the cigarette tax to a total of $1.60 a pack.
And the committee brought back a controversial measure that would require an
abortion clinic to go into a transportation agreement with a hospital no more than
30 miles away.
Republican Representative and Finance Committee Chair Ryan Smith of Gallipolis says
he's proud of the work behind this budget.
Smith: "We tried to attack the drug problem we tried to attack infant mortality you
know a lot of things that are important to the people of this state we were really
conscious of the fact of where we were making the investment."
The Democrats offered many amendments but all were tabled.
