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Kasich will be back in Ohio Wednesday to offer his State of the State address
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Gov. John Kasich will return to Ohio on Wednesday to offer his State of the State address in Marietta in southeastern Ohio.
It’s the latest the annual speech before a joint session of the Ohio House and Senate has been offered by Kasich and the latest such address among governors nationally.
It’s also one of the few times Kasich has offered a nonpresidential-campaign-related speech in his home state since January, when he hit the road to build support for his run for the White House.
What will the governor discuss in his sixth State of the State, to be delivered at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the People’s Bank Theatre, near the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers?
The administration was mostly mum on specifics.
Spokesman Joe Andrews offered in a statement, “The governor is looking forward to continuing his tradition of taking the State of the State on the road next week in Marietta to share some of our achievements and discuss what’s needed to build upon our progress.”
Last year, Kasich used his State of the State to urge lawmakers to move his executive budget proposal, with a tax reform package that included income tax cuts coupled with increases to the state sales tax and rates on tobacco and oil and gas produced via fracking.
(The Legislature later revamped his proposal, with the final budget including income tax cuts and a hike on per-pack cigarette taxes but scrapping the severance tax increase and other portions of the executive proposal.)
On Wednesday, Kasich could focus on this year’s Mid-Biennium Review, the off-budget-year package of policy proposals he’s presented since taking office.
Four MBR bills have been announced in recent weeks, covering policies related to serving Ohioans with developmental disabilities, reducing the costs of higher education and addressing drinking water issues.
The latter, announced in recent days, includes quicker public notice when lead issues are discovered and increased support for communities wanting to replace contaminated water systems. The proposal came after lead issues arose in the village of Sebring in Mahoning County.