Ohio

The state budget is prepared on a biennial basis by the Office of Budget and Management. It is submitted by the governor to the state legislature, which must act on it by the close of the current fiscal year (30 June).

The general assembly has nearly total discretion in allocating general revenues, which are used primarily to support education, welfare, mental health facilities, law enforcement, property tax relief, and government operations. The assembly also allocates money from special revenue funds by means of specific legislative acts. More than one-half of all state expenditures come from the general fund.

Ohio's total biennium appropriations for 2004/05 of its general revenue fund total $48.787 billion, distributed in terms of function to Medicaid (37.2%), other health and human services (8.5%), primary and secondary education (26.9%), higher and other education (10.3%), public safety and protection (7.2%), general government and tax relief (6.8%), environment, development and transportation (1.9%), executive, legislative and judicial (1.3%). In 2002/03, Ohio's budget deficit was estimated at just under $2 billion (8.4% of the state budget), and for 2003/04 the deficit is projects at just over $2 billion (about9.2% of the state budget).

The following table from the US Census Bureau contains information on revenues, expenditures, indebtedness, and cash/securities for 2001.