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Ohio Senate tables proposal to use rainy‑day fund to backfill SNAP benefits, then passes budget‑corrections bill with emergency clause
Summary
The Ohio Senate debated and ultimately tabled an amendment that would have allowed the state to use its Budget Stabilization Fund to temporarily fund SNAP, WIC and TANF during a federal lapse before approving Substitute House Bill 4 34 as an emergency measure.
Senators debated an amendment to Substitute House Bill 4 34 that would have authorized the use of Ohio’s Budget Stabilization Fund (the “rainy‑day” fund) to temporarily fund SNAP, WIC and TANF benefits during a lapse in federal funding and seek reimbursement after the federal government reopened.
Senator Nick Smith offered the amendment, saying the pause in SNAP funding would affect “more than 1,500,000 Ohioans” and that the rainy‑day fund — which he cited as nearly $4,000,000,000 — could be used to avert immediate harm to children, veterans, seniors and working households. The amendment would allow the state to front federal benefits and attempt to recoup the costs later.
Speakers on both sides framed the debate in moral and fiscal terms. Supporters described an urgent need to prevent families from going hungry, with Senator Craig noting “silence is not an option” and urging a tangible state response. Senator Hicks Hudson and Senator Blackshear described local food‑bank strain and urged action. Opponents, including Senator Blessing, Senator Lang, Senator Brenner and others, warned of the long‑term fiscal risks, the possible hit to the state’s bond rating if the rainy‑day fund were drawn down, and the absence of a guarantee of federal reimbursement.
After extended floor debate and a motion from Senator Reineke to lay the amendment on the table, the clerk recorded 23 yeas and 9 nays; President Macaulay announced the amendment “is laid upon the table.” The Senate then proceeded to consider the emergency clause tied to the underlying HB 4 34. The emergency clause and the bill passed on recorded votes (emergency clause recorded as 31 yeas, 0 nays; final passage recorded as 31 yeas, 0 nays). Senator Serino, sponsor of HB 4 34, said the bill made time‑sensitive technical corrections to recent operating and transportation budgets and allocated funds for SNAP administration and Ohio’s benefits system updates.
The effect of the floor action: the Smith amendment that would have temporarily used state contingency funds to backfill federal nutrition programs was tabled; the budget‑corrections bill itself passed as an emergency measure.
