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House Speaker Has Contingency Plan As Budget Deadline Looms

By Andy Chow

Published June 27, 2019 at 9:15 PM EDT

House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) talks to journalists about the budget process, currently in conference committee. [Andy Chow] — House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) talks to journalists about the budget process, currently in conference committee.

The deadline for the Ohio House and Senate to reach a budget bill agreement is Sunday night. But House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) says he has a backup plan.

Householder says their budget priorities are taxes, health care, and education. He says the Senate made some major changes when it comes to health care reforms and tax cuts that don’t align with what his chamber wants.

The House and Senate easily passed their individual budgets, but lawmakers have been locked in a conference committee since Tuesday.

But Householder says the House is holding onto another bill, SB4, a school facilities bill that could be used to temporarily fund the government.

“If we have to put something in [SB]4 because we think it’s the right place for it to go because there’s appropriations in there that would give us extensions. Ninety days on BWC and 14 days on the operating budget,” says Householder.

Earlier this year, the House and Senate missed the deadline to pass a transportation budget bill by two days.