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HB 96 · 136th General Assembly Enacted with Anti-LGBTQ+ Riders

FY 2026-2027 Operating Budget

Ohio's biennial state operating budget for FY 2026-2027. Contains multiple anti-LGBTQ+ riders affecting K-12 schools, higher education, and state agencies. Governor DeWine vetoed some equality-related provisions on June 30, 2025; the legislature later overrode select vetoes.

Status
Enacted
Introduced
April 1, 2025
Signed
June 30, 2025
Chamber of Origin
House (Executive Budget)
Vetoes
Partial Line-Item
Ohio Pride Position
Oppose Anti-LGBTQ+ Riders

What It Does

Sets state spending and policy for FY 2026-2027. Anti-LGBTQ+ riders include provisions affecting transgender recognition in state systems, DEI programming in higher education, and school facility and curriculum policy.

Some provisions vetoed by the governor remained vetoed; others were restored by the legislature through override votes. Provision-level mapping of which language survived versus was removed remains pending further research.

Why It Matters

The budget is one of the most consequential vehicles for restrictive policy because it bundles unrelated provisions inside a must-pass appropriations bill.

  • Embeds restrictive LGBTQ+ policy in the budget, where it is harder to challenge politically and harder to undo than freestanding legislation.
  • Splits public attention by mixing equality questions with appropriations decisions.
  • Sets a precedent for using the next budget cycle to expand or further entrench restrictive policy.
  • Raises Ohio Constitution single-subject and germaneness questions worth tracking for future legal challenges.

Recorded Votes (Override-Relevant Items)

Override votes on selected anti-LGBTQ+ items in HB 96 are recorded as follows. Provision-level mapping of which exact items each override applied to is pending.

House Override
61 to 28
Yeas to Nays
Senate Override
21 to 11
Yeas to Nays

Timeline

  • Apr 1, 2025
    Introduced in House
    Biennial operating budget for FY 2026-2027 introduced as the executive budget vehicle.
  • Apr 9, 2025
    Passed House
    House passed the budget; bill moved to Senate for consideration.
  • Jun 11, 2025
    Passed Senate
    Senate passed its version of the budget; conference committee convened to reconcile differences.
  • Jun 25, 2025
    Conference agreement
    Conference committee finalized agreement; both chambers concurred.
  • Jun 30, 2025
    Signed with line-item vetoes
    Governor DeWine signed the budget into law and exercised line-item vetoes on select anti-LGBTQ+ provisions.
  • Jun 30, 2025
    Override votes recorded
    Override-relevant votes recorded at House 61-28 and Senate 21-11 on selected items. Provision-level mapping pending.

Official Sources

Track the bill directly through Ohio Legislature pages.

Bill page Status history Vote records

This is what budget politics looks like.

Restrictive LGBTQ+ language gets buried in must-pass bills. Ohio Pride PAC tracks every line, every veto, every override and holds legislators accountable on the scorecard.

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