Budget talks between leaders of the House and Senate are being described as very positive with solid progress moving forward, but a deadline is coming Wednesday.
Two sticking points appear to be the House’s drop in the income tax deduction many small businesses can take and the Senate’s increase of the House’s income tax cuts.
Sen. Dave Burke (R-Marysville) isn’t directly involved in those budget talks, but is on the six member conference committee.
“Those would certainly be one of the main package issues, along with health care and Medicaid. So getting those two items to coalesce would probably be what one would refer to as the logjam that’s causing this delay,” said Burke.
However it's also thought that the separate so-called bailout bill for Ohio's two nuclear power plants is involved too.
The divide appears to be between the Republican-dominated chambers - the House passed its budget overwhelmingly and the Senate passed its version unanimously - and not along party lines, and Burke says it's close to being resolved.
Lawmakers will have to pass a two-year budget or another temporary spending plan when the one now in effect expires on Wednesday.
Gov. Mike DeWine has talked to both House Speaker Larry Householder and Senate President Larry Obhof and describes both spending plans as good ones, but said it's time to pass a budget.
