The Ohio budget is facing a $851 million hole that must be fixed. Governor Strickland has proposed fixing the hole by freezing income tax rates for two years, to protect against additional budget cuts or raising other taxes. The Ohio House passed his proposal (HB 318) earlier this month. Now it is up to the Senate to act.

Some Republican Senators who oppose the tax freeze have proposed a government consolidation plan (SB 52) that cuts 11,000 state jobs and downsizes state government down to 11 agencies.

In reality SB 52 does little to fix the immediate need to balance the budget. It would take years to implement and would actually cost additional money in the short-run. Plus such consolidation would jeopardize services Ohioans need and rely on in tough times.

Please e-mail your state senator today! Tell them to support HB 318, Governor Strickland's tax freeze proposal that fixes the budget hole, and reject SB 52, a consolidation scheme that would cut critical public services without addressing the immediate need to balance the budget. View Budget Crisis Factsheet.