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Treasurer outlines 51% GRF reduction request, highlights ResultsOhio, STABLE and AgLink programs
Summary
Treasurer Robert Sprague told the Senate Finance Committee the treasurer's office seeks a roughly 51% cut in recommended GRF appropriations for FY26–27, citing modernization, efficiency and new revenue; he described ResultsOhio, STABLE, Ohio Homebuyer Plus and AgLink program results and pending statute changes in House Bill 96.
Treasurer Robert Sprague told the Ohio Senate Finance Committee during the second hearing on House Bill 96 that his office is requesting a roughly 51% reduction in General Revenue Fund (GRF) support for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 while continuing to expand several public-facing programs.
Sprague said the requested reduction is “made possible thanks to our prudent budget management, improved operational efficiencies, diversified revenue streams, and forward thinking program implementation.” He described ResultsOhio, STABLE accounts, Ohio Homebuyer Plus and AgLink as examples of the office’s work.
The treasurer said ResultsOhio (a pay-for-results grant model) and partnerships with nonprofit and educational organizations delivered eye exams and glasses to students; his office provided specific counts: 3,974 students received eye exams, 915 were referred for more serious conditions and 3,418 received eyeglasses. He said ResultsOhio remains in demand among Ohio-based organizations and philanthropic funders.
On STABLE (the ABLE program for people with disabilities), Sprague said the program had more than 44,000 accounts and “totals over $526,000,000 in assets under management.” He said the office will pursue a package of STABLE enhancements as stand‑alone legislation in the next biennium.
Sprague described Ohio Homebuyer Plus, launched in January 2024, as having grown to more than 18,000 accounts at more than 60 financial institutions. He also said recent statutory changes and operational flexibility helped the AgLink program set records; in 2024 AgLink assisted nearly 4,000 farmers and saved participants almost $20 million in interest. The treasurer said recent AgLink enhancements increase the loan cap for targeted counties from $500,000 to $750,000 and allow loan durations up to two years with larger interest discounts for drought‑ and avian‑influenza‑affected farmers.
Regarding the proposed GRF reduction, Sprague told senators the cut is primarily the result of two developments: operational modernization enacted via recent Treasury modernization legislation and growth in non‑GRF revenue streams. When a senator asked what line items were being cut, Sprague cited reduced headcount and the shift of some costs off the GRF because of higher recurring fee and investment income. “We're no longer clipping bond coupons in the basement here of the state house. Everything is electronic now,” he said.
Sprague also noted that some additional changes to the Ohio Revised Code will be submitted as standalone bills and that around 30 other statutory revisions remain under consideration; some of those changes were included in the sub bill for House Bill 96, he said.
He closed by asking the committee for continued legislative partnership and offering to answer follow‑up questions and provide more detailed language reviews through his legislative affairs director.
The committee recessed later in the hearing and took up other agency budgets; Treasurer Sprague’s testimony concluded without a formal committee vote on funding levels.
