Public Safety Committee hears DPS budget testimony; highway patrol seeks fee increases to avoid cuts

On Feb. 12, 2025, the Ohio House Public Safety Committee heard invited testimony from Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, and Colonel Charles Jones, superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, on House Bill 96, the state operating budget. Wilson and Jones said the highway patrol faces a structural funding shortfall and urged the committee to approve targeted fee increases to preserve patrol operations and shared services with local law enforcement.

Wilson told the committee the patrol’s long-term funding has not kept pace with inflation since a 2003 funding restructure and described two proposed fee changes in the budget: a $10 increase to the motor-vehicle registration fee and a $3 increase to the motor-vehicle title fee. "Every dollar associated with this fee increase . . . all goes directly to the highway patrol to fund the cost of patrol operations," Wilson said, adding the budget language would guarantee the revenue is restricted to patrol operations.

Why it matters: Wilson and Jones said a continued funding gap would force the patrol to cut services that local agencies rely on, from traffic enforcement and aviation support to specialized units such as the Special Response Team and the Ohio Investigative Unit. Wilson warned, "If we do not address our looming funding crisis for the patrol in this budget, the Ohio State Highway Patrol…