Governor Delivers State of the State Address
Highlights Include Mental Health, Housing, Education, Childcare, and Ensuring a Sound Workforce for Business Investment
The State of the State Address, an opportunity for Ohio's current leadership to tout successes and touch on plans the Administration has for the future of the state, happens every year at about this time. Following the State of the State comes the Governor's proposed state budget, and then deliberations by the Ohio House, the Ohio Senate, and the Conference Committee to help determine the final budget.
Yesterday, Jan. 31, 2023, Ohio Governor Mike Dewine delivered this year's State of the State Address to his Cabinet, state senators, state representatives, the media, guests, and (virtually) all Ohioans from the traditional location of the Ohio House Chambers at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.
A consistent message many administrations share is that we must do what it takes to attract business investment to Ohio, and we must make our state an attractive place to live, work, and play so our young people, especially those with needed skills and talents, don't leave Ohio for more geographically attractive states. Termed the “brain drain,” losing population has serious side effects, including: a more limited workforce to attract business investment; fewer people who will spend their money locally; and the possibility of someday losing a Congressional seat.
This year's State of the State addressed this same topic -to create an environment which will encourage people
“We want our children to grow, learn, and ultimately live and work right here in Ohio! And we believe the changes we have announced today will help them do that. Keeping our young people in Ohio has never been more important, as we create jobs faster than we can fill them.”
to stay in Ohio -- among many other topics, including: education, reading, and career centers; housing; nursing homes; mental health; child welfare services; and public safety and crime. Below are a few highlights from Governor Mike Dewine's Jan. 31, 2023 State of the State Address:
~ We want ALL regions of the state to participate in Ohio’s economic revival -- and for all Ohioans to prosper from it. Every region of the state
has good sites, however, many of them are not yet ready for development.
~ Our budget creates the “All Ohio Future Fund” -- a one-time investment that will [make an] $2.5 billion investment to prepare the infrastructure of large economic development sites located in every single part of Ohio. With the development of these sites, every single Ohio citizen will be within commuting distance of at least one of these sites.
~ In our budget, we will invest an additional $150 million to create new Innovation Hubs in regions throughout the State. These hubs will bring together each community’s strengths to encourage more economic development and attract the very best talent.
~ Partnering [our] businesses with our colleges and universities to develop new STEM education talent, create tens of thousands of jobs, and bring about new research, extraordinary technology, and life-saving medical advancements. ~ Our budget directs the Ohio Department of Education to lay out a plan -informed by research and evidence -- to ensure that all Ohio students have the best opportunity to master the skill of reading. Further, it directs them to help students in our public, STEM, and charter schools by providing funding to each school to pay for curriculum based on the Science of Reading and for professional development for those teachers needing it in that curriculum.
~ Do more to help the families involved in the child welfare system. Ohio still remains near the bottom nationally for funding, and many of our children’s services agencies continue to struggle. ~ We must face the fact that no Ohioan
will ever fully live up to their potential or be able to lead purposeful and meaningful lives if their mental illness remains in the shadows and untreated... The budget I am releasing later today is centered on building a community care system that increases prevention efforts; Offering better crisis response services and treatment options; Growing our behavioral health workforce; and focusing on much-needed research and innovation... you will see growing investments to expand what’s working -- to all 88 counties, including: Treatment and counseling services delivered either in person or through telehealth visits...; Suicide prevention... ; Support for our youngest Ohioans [to] get help at the earliest sign of a behavioral health need; Expansion of the crisis care system and the new 9-8-8 hotline so fewer Ohioans land in the emergency room; and, increased access to state hospitals and private psychiatric hospitals to ease stress on families, emergency departments, courts, and jails.
~ The “Next Generation 9-1-1 System.”... under most current 9-1-1 systems, when you call on your cell phone, it doesn’t necessarily go directly to your local dispatch center. However, the Next Generation 9-1-1 System routes calls directly to local dispatchers and uses your cell phone’s GPS to more quickly get first responders to your exact location.
The Governer closed his Address with the following:
“The fact our greatness as a state lies, not so much in our leaders, but
rather in the wisdom, and the common sense, and the goodness of
our people.”
To watch the Address in its entirety, visit: c-span.org or nbc4i.com.