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Analysts, Governor $700 Million Apart on Revenue Estimates
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The head of Ohio’s legislative analysis division says its estimates for state revenue over the next couple of years are below those of Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.
Mark Flanders is director of the Legislative Service Commission. His testimony prepared for the House Finance Committee on Tuesday indicated the commission’s estimates are almost $200 million below DeWine’s for the rest of this fiscal year.
The commission estimates $347 million less revenue than DeWine does for next year and $161 million less in 2021, for a total difference of about $700 million.
The budget DeWine proposed last week calls for nearly $70 billion in state spending over two years.
DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney says the governor used conservative revenue estimates to draft his budget. Tierney says estimates will be updated based on monthly revenue reports.