Ohio Senate proposes universal vouchers and tax cuts in state budget plan.

Ohio Senate Republicans have proposed a two-year budget plan that would expand eligibility for publicly funded school vouchers for K-12 private schools and make significant cuts to state income tax and commercial activity tax rates. The budget also includes a proposal to strip the State Board of Education of most of its powers and give them instead to the governor’s administration. The Senate’s budget plan would increase state spending on school vouchers to about $1 billion per year during the next two fiscal years. The proposal also includes a reduction in state income tax rates and the number of state income-tax brackets, and a 25% cut in the state’s commercial activity tax.