Gov. Mike DeWine said Friday state lawmakers should reconsider increasing funding for some of his most prioritized programs, after the Ohio House GOP rejected numerous requests in their version of the state budget released last week.
The latest version of , DeWine said, does not fund some initiatives at 鈥渢he levels that we think are necessary,鈥� adding it is still relatively early in the budget cycle.
Among the reductions, lawmakers proposed cutting money for Help Me Grow by more than $22.5 million during fiscal year 2027, according to analysis documents.
Geared toward pregnant women and newborn parents, Help Me Grow provides free professional home visits by nurses and social workers, alongside early intervention of developmental delays or disabilities in babies.
鈥淭hese are reaching out to moms in very difficult times for them. This is one of the ways that you reduce infant mortality,鈥� DeWine said Friday. 鈥淲e鈥檙e making some progress on infant mortality. We鈥檙e moving the numbers some, not as fast as we want.鈥�
In 2022, Ohio had the eighth highest infant mortality rate nationwide, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
DeWine asked the legislature for a funding increase for Help Me Grow earlier this year, but House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said Wednesday there were some questions about the program鈥檚 potential 鈥渆fficacy,鈥� hence the reduction.
GOP leaders have also highlighted why they believe the budget needs to be leaner for the 2026-2027 fiscal years.
鈥淭hese are not the budgets we鈥檝e had for the last four years where you have CARES Act money and ARPA funding and these large pots of federal money that essentially got put toward some of these programs,鈥� Stewart said.
House Finance committee members will continue to vet the amendments in hearings this week, with a full floor vote scheduled Wednesday. Then, the budget heads to the Senate, with a deadline of June 30.
