Gov. John Kasich's $7.6 billion transportation budget – H.B. 51 – which would use $1.4 billion in Ohio Turnpike bonds to fund highway projects and would increase the speed limit to 70 miles per hour on rural interstates, was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives and is on its way to the Gov. Kasich’s desk to be signed, according to The Hannah Report, Gongwer Ohio Report and The Columbus Dispatch (See our December 20, 2012, blog post for more information about the bill). Although lawmakers from both parties praised the legislation as a job creator that "addresses pressing infrastructure needs without raising taxes," the Kasich administration has expressed reservations about three provisions in the budget, including a new requirement that the Ohio Department of Transportation "reimburse counties when highway projects force the relocation of water and sewer facilities"; a reduction in motor vehicle registration late fees from $20 to $10; and an allocation of $7.5 million toward railroad grade crossing maintenance, Gongwer reports. For more, read the legislative analysis of H.B. 51.
Transportation budget heads to Gov. Kasich's desk to be signed
