WEEK IN REVIEW
Friday, March 31, 2023

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Week in Review

For the week ending March 31, 2023

Governor DeWine and the First Lady with Tolles Career and Technical Center students

On?Monday,?Ohio Governor Mike DeWine visited Tolles Career and Technical Center to tour their different programs and speak with students about their experience.??

Also on Monday, Governor DeWine and?Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced the approval of assistance for four projects set to create 209 new jobs and retain 356 jobs statewide.

During its monthly meeting, the Ohio Tax Credit Authority (TCA) reviewed economic development proposals brought to the board by JobsOhio and its regional partners. Collectively, the projects are expected to result in more than $13.4 million in new payroll and spur more than $55.6 million in investments across Ohio.

Projects approved by the TCA include:

CENTRAL?
Middle West Spirits LLC, Columbus (Franklin County)?

NORTHEAST
MAC Trailer Enterprises Inc., Smith Township (Mahoning County)?

SOUTHWEST
Berkley Insurance Company, West Chester Township (Butler County)
Cincinnati Test Systems Inc., Harrison (Hamilton County)?

Also on Monday, Lt. Governor Husted, in his role as Director of InnovateOhio, announced that because of a number of technology solutions spearheaded by InnovateOhio, in collaboration with the Ohio BMV, Ohioans have saved over 4 million trips to in-person, deputy registrar locations.?

?This milestone is a product of InnovateOhio?s dedication to streamlining government services as part of our mission to make Ohio the most innovative, entrepreneurial state in the Midwest,? said Lt. Governor Husted. ?It?s great to see that more and more Ohioans are taking advantage of the many BMV services now available online, helping them save time and avoid the line.?

Lastly, on Monday, Governor DeWine provided updates regarding?remediation work at the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine.

The State of Ohio, through the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, has been awarded a $209,402 federal Supplemental Emergency Response Grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to meet the immediate and ongoing behavioral health needs of the East Palestine community.

Other work includes removal of hazardous waste, train track and soil removal, and operations of the health assessment clinic.?

East Palestine train derailment remediation updates from the State of Ohio will be issued only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday moving forward.

On Tuesday, in accordance with the order issued by the President of the United States of America and in remembrance of the victims of the school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, Governor DeWine ordered that the flags of the United States and the State of Ohio shall be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout the State of Ohio until sunset on March 31, 2023.

Governor DeWine observing Cridersville Elementary students learning how to read using the Science of Reading method

Also on?Tuesday, Governor DeWine?made literacy stops in Auglaize County and Wood County to observe and discuss the Science of Reading with students, staff, and school administrators.?

Also on Tuesday,?Lt. Governor Husted toured Ashland County West-Holmes Career Technical Center to learn about how they would plan to expand their programs using the Career Technical Education funding in the Executive Version of the State Operating Budget to better meet regional workforce needs.

Governor DeWine hearing from attendees of the Ohio Governor's Nursing Home Quality and Accountability Task Force Meeting

Finally, on Tuesday, Governor DeWine attended the?Ohio Governor's Nursing Home Quality and Accountability Task Force Meeting. The task force?is a group of leading experts in aging, long-term care, and other disciplines ? as well as long-term care consumers and advocates themselves ? appointed by Governor DeWine to study issues surrounding quality of life and quality of care, with a goal of making excellence the expectation for all of Ohio?s 960+ nursing homes.

On Wednesday, Governor DeWine?signed an executive order directing the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy to immediately classify xylazine as a Schedule III controlled substance, making Ohio one of the first states in the nation to schedule xylazine as a controlled substance drug.

Xylazine is a central nervous system depressant used in veterinary medicine as a sedative, anesthetic, and muscle relaxant. The substance, which is not approved for human consumption, has increasingly been found in the illicit drug supply in Ohio, frequently mixed with heroin, fentanyl, or new synthetic opioids (NSOs) such as nitazene.

"This lethal drug has dangerous side effects which can?t be reversed by naloxone, so there is no way to reverse its impact on people,? said Governor DeWine. ?The rate of overdose deaths involving a mixture of xylazine and other drugs is increasing at an alarming rate, which is exactly why we need to take action now."

Also on Wednesday, Lt. Governor Husted attended?the Ohio Asphalt Expo Scholarship Breakfast to give remarks about Ohio's economic development wins.

Also on Wednesday, Lt. Governor Husted provided remarks to county commissioners and engineers about budget priorities in the Executive Version of the State Operating Budget at the Northwest Ohio Commissioners & Engineers? Association quarterly meeting.

Finally, on Wednesday, Governor DeWine provided updates?regarding remediation work at the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine.?

Ohio EPA Director Anne Vogel testified before the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday concerning Ohio EPA's ongoing work to help clean up and restore the derailment site in East Palestine. Director Vogel's testimony can be found at epa.ohio.gov.?

Other work includes removal of hazardous waste, additional treatment to the public drinking water system and the monitoring of area drinking water wells.

On Friday,?Governor DeWine signed House Bill 23, the state?s next two-year transportation budget. ?The bill, which takes effect July 1, directs how the state will spend approximately $13.5 billion in state and federal revenue over the next two years. ?

Under the direction of Governor DeWine, Ohio has expanded its safety program to lead the country in safety spending per capita and is the fourth largest in total spending on transportation safety in the country.?The new budget includes $360 million over two years in dedicated highway safety funding that?will be used to address dangerous intersections, make travel safer for bicyclists and pedestrians, and help local governments fund critical projects.?The budget also includes?$7.5 billion for general state highway improvements; $3 billion for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor; $30 million for Roadwork Development Grants, and $10 million for a statewide transportation study to identify future transportation needs? expected in Ohio over the next three decades.

The budget also includes provisions?to target increased safety and transparency of Ohio?s freight and hazardous materials shipping by rail following the East Palestine train derailment.

Governor DeWine with Vinton Elementary School students and staff

Also on Friday, Governor DeWine visited?Vinton Elementary School to observe and discuss how the Science of Reading has been implemented in its classrooms, and the students' experience with it.?

Also on Friday,?InnovateOhio and the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) announced that $7 million has now been identified using the innovative data analytics tool?launched in early 2019?to find duplicate payments in state payment systems. This update brings the total number of confirmed duplicate payments identified by InnovateOhio?s advanced analytics tool to 662 from January 2019 through January 2023, spanning 40 different agencies, boards, and commissions.

Of the $7,041,577 in duplicate payments found, $6,883,443 has already been recovered, delivering savings to state taxpayers. ?The remaining balance is in the process of being recovered.

?The duplicate payment tool, launched by InnovateOhio and OBM, has made a slow, inefficient process more streamlined and much faster, allowing the team to identify erroneous payments so they can be recouped,? said Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted. ?It?s an example of using technology to improve processes within government and saving taxpayer money, both of which are goals of InnovateOhio.?

Also on Friday,?Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the appointment of Jason Given to the Coshocton County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile and Probate Division.? Given has served in both the public and private sector. He started practicing law as an associate with the law firm Leech, Scherbel, Peddicord. Later in 2009, he was named partner at the law firm which was renamed Leech, Scherbel, Peddicord, & Given. Given also served for eight years as assistant Coshocton County prosecuting attorney. In 2011, he assumed elected office as the Coshocton County prosecuting attorney and has served this role until his new appointment by Governor DeWine.?

Lastly, on Friday, Governor DeWine provided updates regarding?the remediation work at the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, including an update on hazardous waste removal, municipal water testing, and water filtration.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957