“Today’s unanimous ruling by the 10th District Court of Appeals reaffirms our position that it is within the authority of the governor and general assembly to appropriate and expend state resources in line with the state's funding priorities,” Strickland said. “Among those priorities are providing access to children's health care and critical health services for adult Ohioans. I am hopeful that the courts will work expeditiously to finalize this case so we can utilize these needed funds.”
The decision extends a stay issued by the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas until a final court decision is rendered.
The current balance in the tobacco account is about $258 million as a result of investment earnings. The final version of House Bill 1, the FY 2010-2011 biennial budget, included the following appropriations of those funds:
- Optional Services under the Medicaid program: $130 million
- Cover children in families making up to 300 percent of federal poverty level under SCHIP: $30.0 million
- Children’s Medicaid buy-in: $2.2 million
- Breast and Cervical Cancer Screenings: $3.4 million
- Title XX Child Welfare (county subsidies): $92.0 million
Total: $257.6 million
