What should essentially be the final version of the state’s biennium budget is heading to the Senate and House floors after a conference committee vote last Wednesday night.
There’s still a 6.3 percent income tax cut across the board along with fairly big cuts for small businesses. The budget plan increases school funding by more than $900 million while increasing the cigarette tax to a total of $1.60 a pack.
And the committee brought back a controversial measure that would require an abortion clinic to go into a transportation agreement with a hospital no more than 30 miles away.
Republican Representative and Finance Committee Chair Ryan Smith of Gallipolis says he’s proud of the work behind this budget.
“We tried to attack the drug problem we tried to attack infant mortality you know a lot of things that are important to the people of this state we were really conscious of the fact of where we were making the investment,” he said.
The Democrats offered many amendments but all were tabled.
