Gov. Strickland signs budget bill
July 2, 2007 - On June 30, Gov. Ted Strickland signed into law his first biennium budget for 2008 - 2009.

The union's proposal for the creation of a pilot state-operated community program for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities was included.

However, the union's prison commission proposal was not.

The new governor exercised his line-item veto authority 38 times.

Among the vetoed items were:

• Special education vouchers.
• A Medicaid reserve fund requiring $325 million in transfers over the biennium.
• Abstinence Education funding.
• Student Choice Grant language.
• E-Check-related language.
• Maximum Lottery ticket prices.
• A provision that impacted the state's 5% debt restriction as related to the tobacco securitization plan.
• State auditor performance reviews of the departments of Mental Health and Alcohol & Drug Addiction Services.
• Controlling Board notice of certain financial moves.

The Gongwer's Ohio Report noted that he said of the differences party differences, "These are areas of honest disagreement. But in a budget document containing 1,865 pages, and tens of thousands of lines of text, I would say our differences are remarkably small in the face of our larger common purpose."

See Related

Blue Ribbon Commission stalled by budget process, but union continues fight

Press Release from the Governor's Office