Democratic lawmakers recently introduced legislation (HB 492) aimed at bolstering local infrastructure.
The measure, called “Restore Ohio,” was introduced by Rep. Denise Driehaus (D-Cincinnati) and Rep. John Rogers (D-Mentor-on-the-Lake) and would leverage $1 billion from the rainy day fund over five years to “provide low-interest loans and grants to local governments to help restore the state’s crumbling infrastructure.”
Fifty percent of investment earnings, the pair said, would be made available to communities as infrastructure grants.
“I believe we must invest now – before it’s too late – in order to maintain and improve our infrastructure for future generations,” Rep. Driehaus said.
The program would be overseen by the Public Works Program.
“‘Restore Ohio’ is a fiscally responsible approach to provide local communities with much needed relief from infrastructure deterioration by setting aside funding for critical community redevelopment projects,” Rep. Rogers said.