COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Legislature has given final approval to borrowing $200 million to pay cash bonuses to veterans of the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
The Ohio House voted 92-3 to approve the plan Tuesday. The Senate approved it last month. Voters must still support it in November because it would increase the state's debt.
Veterans would get $100 for every month they served to up a total of $1,000.
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland vetoed a similar bill last year but is expected to sign this version because it raises money by selling bonds instead of tapping the state's rainy-day fund.
The governor wants to use nearly all of the $1 billion rainy-day fund to help pay for the next two-year budget. Ohio faces a $7 billion budget deficit.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWACH