COLUMBUS, Ohio — Calling the moment, "our time in history," Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine delivered his 2024 State of the State address before a joint session of the Ohio General Assembly on Wednesday at the Ohio Statehouse.
Here were some of the key points brought up by DeWine during his roughly 65-minute speech.
EDUCATION
"The single most important thing we can do for Ohio’s future is to ensure all Ohio children have the opportunity to live up to their full God-given potential," the governor stated at the beginning of his address. "Kids have only one chance to grow up, so we must have a great sense of urgency, as every moment we waste is a moment they lose."
DeWine spent roughly 30 minutes prioritizing education initiatives, spotlighting the following:
- Ohio is at 60% enrollment for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio, the highest in the nation. Children under five in Ohio have received nearly 16 million books in the mail.
- Calling on every college and university in Ohio to "immediately align their teacher training programs with the Science of Reading."
- Creating the Childcare Choice Voucher Program for Ohio families that make up to 200% of the federal poverty level or $60,000 for a family of four. DeWine says the new program will provide financial support for 8,000 additional Ohio children.
- Directing the Department of Education to create a principal apprenticeship program.
- Requesting the legislature "to make a very simple fix in statute to insert career planning into existing graduation plan requirements so that every Ohio student leaves school on a career pathway."
- A commitment to ensure that "no Ohio child who wants career tech is ever shut out because there simply is not room for them."
- Creation of the Children’s Vision Strike Force, who will work with vision care professionals "in every corner of Ohio to scale proven models that bring comprehensive follow-up eye exams directly to schools."
You can watch Gov. DeWine's entire State of the State address below.
HEALTH CARE
In assessing the state's healthcare situation, DeWine believes Ohio and the nation is in a "crisis" when it comes to mental health.
Specifically, the governor believes that the top factor impacting the behavioral health of children is the use of smartphones and access to social media. He renewed his call for the General Assembly to adopt a smartphone policy that will minimize usage by students.
In addition, DeWine said the state needs "to go after the social media companies that are targeting our kids -- addicting them and then monetizing that addiction. What they are doing is shameful!"
Last year, DeWine signed a law requiring parental consent for children under 16 to use social media. In January, the measure was temporarily blocked by a federal judge. The governor called on the General Assembly to create new legislation that would satisfy the concerns expressed in the restraining order.
"We have no time to waste," he added.
Other healthcare highlights in DeWine's speech included:
- Launching a new pilot program in 11 Ohio counties called Family Connects. "Every new mom -- no matter her income -- will be eligible to receive a visit from a nurse about three weeks after delivering her baby," the governor explained.
- Creating a new partnership, Outcomes Acceleration for Kids Learning Network (OAK), to change how the state delivers and coordinates are for children. OAK will prioritize better management of childhood asthma, annual well-care visits for infants and adolescents, and access to the latest treatment for those with Sickle Cell disease.
- Increasing the availability of immediate behavioral health care through the expansion of the Mobile Response Stabilization Services.
- A new pilot program to help more Ohio counties to recruit and support local treatment foster homes "by providing one-on-one support for families; 24/7 on-call casework and crisis counseling; and specialized training, so that children with complex behavioral needs can stay in a home with a loving family that can remain actively involved in the treatment process."
A VICTORY LAP
In a lighter moment during the State of the State address, DeWine had some fun with a recent statement by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who noted that despite the fact that Ohio has roughly 1.5 million fewer residents than Pennsylvania, it spends about seven times as much on economic development.
"I am sick and tired of losing to friggin' Ohio," Shapiro said during a speech in February.
DeWine laughed as he repeated Shapiro's quote amid a standing ovation from the General Assembly. He then noted some important achievements in Ohio, including a historically-low unemployment rate and "a booming job market."
"THE URGENT ISSUES"
To close out his speech, DeWine called upon the General Assembly to do the following:
- Pass legislation to ban the sale of intoxicating hemp -- known as Delta-8 -- to Ohio's children
- In the aftermath of the passing of Issue 2, come up with a solution to the problem of Ohio's children "breathing in marijuana smoke while walking in a public park, to sports practice, or to watch a professional baseball game"
- Pass a uniform statewide law banning flavored vaping and flavored cigarettes
- After passing the distracted driving law last year, DeWine plans to soon introduce a proposal "to save young people and adults through a primary seat belt law"
"For all of us in Ohio -- this now is our time in history -- and we must act with great urgency to not squander this precious, finite window of opportunity when our children are growing up. This is our time to meet the challenges I have laid out today -- to do the hard things that matter and will make a lasting difference for our children and the future of Ohio," DeWine said at the conclusion of his address.
The State of the State address is traditionally when the governor lays out his agenda for the coming year. During his remarks last year, DeWine primarily focused on the state's budget through a variety of topics, including mental health, jobs, schools and law enforcement.
The 77-year-old DeWine delivered his fourth State of the State address to the General Assembly since becoming Ohio's 70th governor in 2019. He canceled his 2020 and 2021 speeches due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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