Fellow Ohioans,

This Executive Budget is framed against a much brighter backdrop than Ohio faced just two years ago. Coming into that biennium, Ohio faced an historic $7.7 billion fiscal imbalance and a sputtering economy that landed Ohio nearly dead-last in job creation. As a result of our decisive action, however, we prevented Ohio's collapse and have gotten our state back on track.

While we've made significant progress, too many Ohioans are still out of work. Our taxes are still too high and present a formidable barrier to job creation. Significant improvements remain undone to the programs that care for vulnerable Ohioans. Ohio must do better. We must further restrain the cost of state government and become more efficient to serve Ohioans better and more responsibly. That is our mission with this budget and in the next biennium.

The reforms in this budget are the next steps in moving Ohio further down the road toward solid, sustained prosperity for all of us. Together, we have taken steps to get Ohio back on track, and I am confident we can continue to make Ohio a better place to work, live and raise our families.

Sincerely,

John R. Kasich
Governor