State of the State | Governor calls for veterans department

COLUMBUS — Gov. Ted Strickland entered the Ohio House to a standing ovation from the General Assembly to deliver his second State of the State address today.

But with the state facing a budget crisis, Strickland told those in attendance that “you may want to sit down for this one.”

Strickland’s first order of business was to propose the creation of a cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs. The governor said veterans services are “scattered” among many departments in the state and this new department brings everything under one umbrella.