Ohio House approves sending hundreds of millions in federal coronavirus aid to small towns, townships – cleveland.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A bill moving forward at the Ohio Statehouse would give $422 million from the massive federal coronavirus relief bill to the states smaller towns and township governments.

The Republican-controlled Ohio House voted Wednesday to approve House Bill 377, which formally allocates some of the $10 billion Ohio got from the American Rescue Plan Act signed in 2021 by Democratic President Joe Biden. The bill will go on to the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate for consideration and also would require Republican Gov. Mike DeWines signature to become law.

The money would get split by population among Ohios non-entitlement government units -- a term that covers cities of 50,000 people or less, village and township governments -- with the requirement that it is spent to directly reimburse costs associated with responding to the coronavirus pandemic and its associated economic effects. The money would be returned if not spent by the end of the states 2023 fiscal year.

The same group of local governments got $422 million last June from the previous round of ARPA funding, which is split into two years.

The Republican-controlled Ohio House approved the bill 75-9 on Wednesday, with all the no votes coming from some of the chambers most conservative Republicans.

Half of the $10 billion the state got from the ARPA will go to the state government, with the other half going to local governments.

Republicans, including DeWine, criticized ARPA before congressional Democrats and Biden passed it.

But since the coronavirus aid bill passed in 2021, the governor, whos running for re-election this year, has touted his plans to spend Ohios share of the money, which also include spending $1.5 billion to repay a federal loan to cover unemployment benefits paid during the pandemic; $756 million for local economic recovery initiatives, water and sewer grants, and pediatric behavioral healthcare facilities; $500 million to invest in Appalachian Ohio; $250 million in police grants; and $10.5 million to buy machines that can help solve gun crimes.

State Rep. Thomas Hall, a Butler County Republican who is one of HB377s sponsors, said during committee testimony the bill is about making sure Ohios 1,300-plus townships and other smaller local governments get their fair share of the federal relief money.

Whether or not you agree with the overall funding outlined in the American Rescue Plan, it is essential that all of Ohios local governments and their communities are treated equally under the bill, he said.

Reporter Jeremy Pelzer contributed to this story

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Ohio House approves sending hundreds of millions in federal coronavirus aid to small towns, townships - cleveland.com