Senate President Larry Obhof (R-Medina, OH) anticipates the Ohio Senate will take up some of the House veto overrides on Wednesday, August 23, but did equivocate that the chamber could wait until September.
Governor John Kasich vetoed 47 items in the state budget (HB 49). The House voted to override 11 of those items. The Senate must also override the 11 items before they are restored to the budget. Senate President Obhof said he is unsure which items the Senate will take up, indicating that he plans to talk with members of his caucus to see what they want to do. But he said he expects to override some of them.
One item the House did not take up is language that would freeze enrollment on the Medicaid expansion. The House said it had until the end of session to take up the veto, and House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville, OH) did not rule out doing so in the fall. He said he wanted to see what the federal government did with the Affordable Care Act, which authorized the Medicaid expansion, before deciding what to do. Senate President Obhof was involved in drafting the Medicaid expansion freeze language and reportedly would like to receive that specific override from the House.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, a Republican-controlled legislature has overridden a Republican governor only three times in state history. This highlights the animosity between the governor and members of the Ohio General Assembly.