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Governor DeWine's action on Ohio's state budget brings mixed implications for counselors, with vetoes protecting LGBTQ+ resources but remaining provisions limiting gender-affirming care coverage and establishing binary-only sex policies. The national budget bill (HR1) delivers significant Medicaid cuts that will affect 2.57 million Ohioans enrolled in the program, potentially increasing the number of uninsured Americans by 16 million by 2034.

• DeWine vetoed measures restricting LGBTQIA+ books in libraries and defunding trans-supportive youth homeless shelters
• Ohio budget now officially recognizes only binary sexes and may deny coverage for gender-affirming mental health care
• House Bill 390 would shift responsibility for collecting co-pays from providers to insurers
• Federal budget cuts to Medicaid threaten counselor reimbursement and client access to services
• National SNAP program facing cuts and stricter work requirements affecting vulnerable populations
• Immigration enforcement funding increased by $170.7 billion with additional fees for asylum applications

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Resources:

• https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/clerk/ecms/#/recentfiling
• https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/status-reports
• https://ohiocounseling.org/legislative-advocacy
• LINK to article with all vetoes in the Ohio budget https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/07/01/heres-what-dewine-vetoed-from-the-budget/
  LINK to Ohio House Bill 390 https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb390
  LINK to info about the National Budget https://usafacts.org/articles/whats-in-the-one-big-beautiful-bill/

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Created by the OCA's Media, Public Relations, and Membership (MPRM) Committee & its Podcast Subcommittee

·Hosted by Marisa Cargill & Victoria Frazier

·Pre-Production & Coordination by Kailey Bradley, Marisa Cargill, Victoria Frazier, Linda Marcel-Rene & Kendra Thornton

·Editing by Leah Wood & Marisa Cargill