1 month ago
Improving entree to kid attraction and kids' wellness attraction shape nan halfway elements of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's schedule successful 2024, arsenic nan second-term Republican rolled retired a slate of argumentation priorities focusing connected children to authorities lawmakers Wednesday.
DeWine, speaking successful nan House of Representatives' enclosure successful nan Statehouse, delivered his State of nan State reside to a associated convention of nan GOP-controlled Legislature, a preview of his fund and argumentation plans for 2024.
To a awesome extent, DeWine focused connected improving wellness attraction and student learning, arsenic good arsenic things he said tin boost Ohio's economy, including efforts to grow kid attraction and keeping much assemblage graduates successful nan state.
OHIO GOV. DEWINE SAYS PRECAUTIONS ENSURE 'A GREAT DAY' IN LEADUP TO ECLIPSE
He said he wants to build connected erstwhile efforts to grow subsidized kid care, assemblage tuition and method acquisition offerings successful precocious schools.
"The azygous astir important point we tin do for Ohio’s early is to guarantee that each Ohio children — each Ohio children, nary matter wherever they live, nary matter who their parents are — person nan opportunity to unrecorded up to their afloat God-given imaginable and they person nan chance to prosecute their dreams and their passions successful life," DeWine said.
DeWine said he wants to create a kid attraction voucher programme for families that meet income eligibility requirements and to usage $85 cardinal successful national backing for grants to grow kid attraction offerings.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine speaks during a news conference, Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, successful Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The voucher programme would beryllium unfastened to families that dress up to 200% of nan national poorness level, aliases $60,000 for a family of four. He estimated that it would thief 8,000 children. He did not opportunity really overmuch money it would require, aliases what benignant of assistance would beryllium disposable to each family.
Saying nan authorities needs to clasp much of its assemblage graduates, DeWine said he wants to commencement collecting information that measures really galore graduates get jobs wrong six months. He framed nan effort arsenic an accountability measurement that will thief students successful picking a higher acquisition institution to attend.
As portion of an effort to thief children learn, DeWine said he wants to guarantee each kid who fails a imagination screening trial successful schoolhouse tin get a follow-up oculus exam and, if needed, a brace of eyeglasses. Too galore do not, he said, announcing a "Children’s Vision Strike Force" to activity pinch imagination attraction professionals.
"Ohio has ne'er had a statewide scheme to guarantee that each Ohio child who needs glasses will get glasses," DeWine said. "Now we do."
DeWine pledged to amended various aspects of wellness attraction for infants and schoolchildren.
Every schoolhouse should see starting a school-based wellness clinic, DeWine said. His management could thief pinch method assistance, he said.
He said his management will motorboat a caller aviator programme successful 11 counties to connection each caller mother a sojourn from a caregiver astir 3 weeks aft delivering a baby. Visiting nurses tin thief parents find aesculapian support, navigate breastfeeding aliases different aspects of caring for an infant, DeWine said.
Similar programs person a way grounds of reducing babe mortality, emergency room visits, postpartum slump and kid protective services investigations, DeWine said.
He besides said he wants to grow a quick-response work for children successful intelligence wellness situation from 38 to each 88 counties.
On nationalist wellness and safety, DeWine asked lawmakers to prohibition marijuana usage successful nationalist aft Ohio voters approved a measurement past twelvemonth legalizing recreational marijuana, defying Republican legislative leaders who had refused to walk it.
He asked lawmakers to toughen seat-belt laws, require schools to minimize cellphone usage by students successful classrooms, and constitute caller authorities to require parental consent for children nether 16 to usage societal media apps. An existing rule DeWine signed is blocked by a court.
"We request to spell aft nan societal media companies that are targeting our kids — addicting them and past monetizing that addiction," DeWine said. "What they are doing is shameful."
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He besides called for lawmakers to outlaw flavored vaping and flavored cigarettes and prohibition nan waste to children of delta-8 THC, a mildly intoxicating related of delta-9 THC, nan psychoactive compound successful marijuana.
