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Ohio Gov. John Kasich is making his pitch to state lawmakers to do more to help residents move out of poverty.

In his two-year state budget, the Republican governor has proposed a way to let lower income families keep child-care subsidies as their income increases. He also wants to use $310 million in state and federal dollars to better coordinate public assistance programs and job services at the county level.

Kasich discussed his plan Tuesday during his annual State of the State speech held this year in Wilmington. He also said the single biggest cure for poverty is a job.

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates for 2013, close to 1.8 million Ohioans are living in poverty. That’s a poverty rate of about 16 percent.