COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued an eleventh-hour line-item veto on a house bill provision that would have stripped the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia of $750,000 in state funding.
DeWine waited until last night to announce the veto. The funding cut would have automatically gone into effect hours later without his action.
A representative of the Ohio Legislative Service Commission told the Independent in an interview before DeWine’s announcement that the bill would have automatically become law on June 25.
“This funding termination would disrupt economic development related to the Baileys Trail System that is already in progress,” DeWine said in a press release. “In my time as Governor, I have worked to foster the economic development of Ohio’s outdoor recreation sector, and this item would unnecessarily harm this development in the Appalachian region of Ohio. Therefore, the veto of this item is in the public interest.”
ORCA Director Jessie Powers had warned that the funding cut could essentially collapse the organization, which manages the Baileys Trail System. ORCA has also begun to pursue other outdoor recreation development projects in the region.
This is a breaking story. The Independent will update this piece with more information as it becomes available.
