Statehouse News Bureau

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Still No Budget With Two Days Left Till 17-Day Extension Expires

Published July 15, 2019 at 2:53 AM EDT

Sen. Dave Burke (R-Marysville, third from right) shakes hands with Rep. Scott Oelslager (R-North Canton) at the first meeting of the budget conference committee on June 25. [Karen Kasler / Statehouse News Bureau]

There are just two days left to enact a two-year state operating budget or lawmakers will have to pass another temporary spending plan when the one now in effect expires on Wednesday.

Two sticking points appear to be the House’s drop in the income tax deduction many small businesses can take, and the Senate’s increase of the House’s income tax cuts. Republican Sen. Dave Burke isn’t directly involved in those budget talks, but is on the six member conference committee.

“Those would certainly be one of the main package issues, along with health care and Medicaid. So getting those two items to coalesce would probably be what one would refer to as the logjam that’s causing this delay,” said Burke.

But it's also thought that the separate so-called bailout bill for Ohio's two nuclear power plants is involved, too. The divide appears to be between the Republican-dominated chambers and not along party lines, and Burke says it's close to being resolved. Budget talks between the Republican leaders of the House and Senate are being described as very positive.