Columbus, OH – Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, issued the following statement in reaction to Governor Mike DeWine’s 2020-2021 executive budget proposal.

“Governor DeWine is seeking to solve some of the most difficult challenges confronting Ohio, and we look forward to working with his administration on the areas in which we agree—most particularly criminal justice reform and cost saving reforms to Ohio’s Medicaid program.

“Like Governor DeWine, The Buckeye Institute wants a budget that is sustainable and keeps Ohio on a path to economic prosperity, and our recent report on budget principles outlined how policymakers can best achieve that goal. However, The Buckeye Institute has serious reservations about the sustainability of a budget that increases spending by seven percent over the next two fiscal years. We are concerned that when economic conditions take a negative turn, revenues decline, and Medicaid costs rise, policymakers will be forced to make deep and painful cuts as they had to do in the early 2000s.

“This year’s budget process presents opportunities to find savings for Ohio’s taxpayers.

• By reforming Ohio’s Medicaid program, we could save taxpayers $200 million annually while still ensuring Ohioans have access to quality care.
• By lowering Ohio’s prison population through smart criminal justice reforms, we could see savings of $20 million.
• By eliminating Ohio’s costly prevailing wage law, we could save tax payers $300 million on construction projects across the state.
• By eliminating special interest pork projects, we could save Ohioans more than $360 million.

“The Buckeye Institute looks forward to working with Governor DeWine’s administration and the General Assembly on these cost saving measures and to finding the right balance of investments in Ohio while also keeping the state on a sustainable path to prosperity.”

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