The Honorable Mike DeWine Governor, State of Ohio 77 South High Street, 30th Floor Columbus, Ohio 43215
Governor DeWine:
I am writing today to respectfully request that you exercise your authority and veto Section 203.15 of Am. Sub. H.B. 74, the state transportation budget for fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
Section 203.15 reads as follows:
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - STATE
The foregoing appropriation item 775470, Public Transportation - State, shall be used to support public transportation projects throughout the state. Notwithstanding section 131.35 of the Revised Code, to provide the most possible flexibility, if additional federal funding designated for public transportation is allocated to public transit agencies in Ohio, and that funding is not required to be used exclusively for costs that public transit agencies incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, then the Director of Transportation may submit a request to the Controlling Board to reduce the amount designated for public transportation in this section under appropriation item 775470, Public Transportation - State, by up to $29,637,222 in each fiscal year.
To date, funding that Ohio’s public transportation agencies have received from the federal government through the federal CARES Act, CARES Act 2, and ARPA legislation, have been designed to assist transit agencies respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout this crisis, Ohio’s public transit agencies have continued to provide vital and needed services to ensure Ohioans continue to have access to jobs, healthcare, education, and basic needs and services. Even now, transit systems in many communities are providing free transportation to the many mass vaccination sites that have been set-up around the state to ensure any Ohioan who wants one can receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
While there has been no indication to date that any recently approved federal assistance can be utilized for non-COVID-related expenses, the legislature inserted this ill-conceived provision into the transportation budget, essentially punishing public transit systems for receiving federal assistance when no other public entity, either state or local, will similarly be held to account for receiving federal relief funds that can be used for a variety of purposes.
For these reasons, we respectfully request that Sec. 203.15 be vetoed from the state transportation budget bill (H.B. 74) as it is not in the best interest of the people of the state of Ohio who rely on public transportation as a lifeline.
With regards,
Jason Warner
Director of Strategic Engagement Greater Ohio Policy Center