Late last night, Governor Kasich signed House Bill (HB) 49, the state’s two-year main operating budget bill, just before the midnight deadline and the start of Fiscal Year (FY) 2018.  He line-item vetoed 47 provisions before signing the bill into law.  The language temporarily setting the Public Library Fund (PLF) at 1.68% of the state’s General Revenue Fund (GRF) for FY18-19 was NOT vetoed and became effective immediately.

State Budget Wrap-Up Webinar

Now that the state budget is finalized, the OLC will be hosting a free webinar for members on the final version of the bill and its impact on public libraries. The webinar is scheduled for Wed., July 26 at noon.  It will include information on the changes to the PLF, other policy changes in the bill impacting libraries, as well as what did and did not make it into the final version.  Learn more and register.

Thank You

It is important to note that this was a very difficult state budget.  Thank you to everyone who contacted legislators and shared our message of Protect the PLF! We would not have been able to minimize the originally proposed reduction in the PLF without the help of certain key supporters in the Senate.  Please take a few minutes (sometime over the next month) and send a short thank you note to the following senators thanking them for their strong support of Ohio’s public libraries in HB 49:

Senate President Larry Obhof
1 Capitol Square, 2^nd Floor
Columbus, OH  43215
obhof@ohiosenate.gov

Senate Majority Floor Leader Randy Gardner
1 Capitol Square, 2^nd Floor
Columbus, OH  43215
gardner@ohiosenate.gov