Governor Releases FY20-21 State Budget; PLF Remains at 1.68% of GRF

On March 15, Governor Mike DeWine released his State Budget proposal for Fiscal Years (FY) 2020-2021. The administration is expecting the state’s economic growth to slow and is proposing a budget with specific targeted investments.

 

Public Library Fund
Governor DeWine’s budget proposal includes funding the Public Library Fund (PLF) at 1.68% over the biennium. It is not known whether this will be included in the permanent law section of the bill or the temporary law section. A detailed review of the 678-page “Blue Book” is underway, and more information will be available once the actual budget bill is officially introduced and the legislative language is analyzed. The budget bill language is expected to be ready the week of March 25.

 

According to the Blue Book, the Office of Budget and Management has made the following PLF projections:
  • FY19:   $397,190,000
  • FY20:   $417,300,000 (+ 5.1%)
  • FY21:   $424,900,000 (+ 1.8%)
When introducing his budget, Governor DeWine released several fact sheets about key aspects of his proposal:

 

Investing in Ohio’s Local Communities
Providing local libraries with an additional $8.5 million over the biennium by maintaining the current rate for the Public Library fund at 1.68% for the upcoming biennium, which is currently scheduled to drop to 1.66% in fiscal year 2020. Ohio is library-rich with 251 public library systems which work collaboratively to provide critical services to their patrons. Governor DeWine believes that libraries are the cornerstone of Ohio’s communities because they play an important role in workforce development and early literacy initiatives.

 

Investing in Ohio’s Children and Families (First Lady’s Initiative)
Investing $5 million to create the Ohio Books from Birth Foundation to provide all Ohio children with a monthly book for the first five years of their life. One of the best ways to prepare children for kindergarten and future success is by reading to them every day. However, too many Ohio children lack access to books. The Ohio Books from Birth program will ensure that every Ohio child receives a monthly book to help spur their development and kindergarten readiness.

Investing in child nutrition with a $60 million increase in federal funding per year for the Federal School Lunch, Federal School Breakfast, and Child and Adult Food Programs. These programs reimburse schools, child care centers, after school programs, and adult day cares for providing nutritious meals and snacks that contribute to the health and wellness of children, older adults, and chronically disabled persons.
Other fact sheets:
Additional budget information is available on the Office of Budget and Management website.