Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and members of the Ohio General Assembly have announced significant investments contained in House Bill 2, a capital budget bill of $3.5 billion that includes an improvement and building of mental health care facilities among others.

“This capital budget is all about creating jobs, growing our economy, and directly impacting the people of Ohio where they live and work,” said Governor DeWine.

“The investments we’re making today impact our schools and universities, our hospitals, our parks and recreational spaces, and our communities. We know these needed investments will continue to make Ohio the best place to live, work, and raise a family for years to come.”

“The investments made in this budget will change lives and make a real difference for the people living, working and raising a family here in Ohio,” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted.

“From funding for a new behavioral health hospital in the Miami Valley to supporting cybersecurity efforts, this package addresses issues that matter to Ohioans.”

“These are not just projects, but investments in our future,” said Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens. “They will benefit not only local communities but also the region and the state, with many even having a national impact. These projects are designed for everyday Ohioans to see, use, and enjoy for generations, making everyone a part of this historic change.”

“These are projects that people will see or use every day,” said Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman. “This investment makes a real difference in our neighborhoods across the state.”

“The capital budget for Fiscal Years 2025-2026, combined with one-time strategic investments made in this bill, represents the largest support for Ohio facilities and local community infrastructure in history, generating jobs and continued growth throughout the state,” said Ohio Office of Budget and Management Director Kimberly Murnieks.

The capital budget includes a total of $3.5 billion in appropriations.

Capital budget highlights include investments to:

• Improve and build mental health care facilities, including the design of a new hospital in the Miami Valley.
• Build new, smaller juvenile correctional facilities.
• Strengthen higher education infrastructure, cybersecurity, and workforce readiness.
• Support construction and renovation in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities.
• Support construction and renovation of local jails.
• Protect public safety through investments in the design of a new state-of-the-art crime lab.
• Advance firefighter training facilities with a new search and rescue training tower.
• Improve and preserve Ohio’s state parks.
• Enhance guest experience and support necessary infrastructure upgrades at the Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds.

House Bill 2., part of the state budget, focuses on enhancing Ohio’s economic presence and funding expansions and repairs in community development across various counties.

In essence, this initiative aims to improve facilities, whether in mental health, sports centers, or local-based community centers, to increase domestic and international tourism appeal.

Governor DeWine noted that this initiative will continue to improve rehabilitation and prison facilities across the state. With its comprehensive approach, the initiative aims to address infrastructure and maintenance needs and provide additional resources to enhance the quality of life for both staff and incarcerated individuals.

It also seeks to offer educational tools to support the reintegration of incarcerated individuals into the community after their release. Notably, the initiative aims to provide additional training to staff to support mental health better, reassuring the audience of Ohio’s commitment to mental health support.

Lieutenant Governor Husted states that parts of the capital budget will go towards improving AI research and cybersecurity efforts through server upgrades and protection against domestic and international interference.

In addition, Husted briefly touched upon the need to reintroduce a Mental Health Facility in the Dayton area. This initiative follows the closure of Dayton’s Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare, a 110-bed facility on Wayne Avenue, during the tenure of former Administration Ted Strickland.

The closure marked the end of a 153-year history and led to the displacement of eighty staff members. Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare facility in Cambridge was closed because the administration at the time stated that it needed to repair a $741 million hole in the state budget.

At the time of the closure, staff members could accept job opportunities to relocate to other mental health facilities in Cincinnati, Toledo, or Columbus. After the closure of Twin Valley, patients had to travel to Cincinnati and other major cities for critical care.

Part of the state budget includes using $10 million to build the beginning of the Mental Health Facility in Dayton. This is due to the closure of Twin Valley Hospital back in 2018.

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