[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6297471,"mediaKeyId","2509942-6119812f9445bc8680357928fb341fe4","parentId",2509942,"title","Ohio National Guard asks for higher state funds to sustain cyber reserve, counterdrug and mental‑health programs","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",757000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2509942-6119812f9445bc8680357928fb341fe4&start=757&end=757","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2509942-6119812f9445bc8680357928fb341fe4/thumbnail_757000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6297471/Ohio/Ohio-National-Guard-asks-for-higher-state-funds-to-sustain-cyber-reserve-counterdrug-and-mentalhealth-programs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6297471-3f14ea57dd871e48dcbe7f26b9ab6a4f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771023284&Signature=dTVF0dR2dL0a50j8MvPLQE9zM2fwzoVuMFtyMAKnyVNtrtNny9mnWgn9rAzlgWBWpHmpreb-ECzap9QND8LffWySsUhiPvj831unAG1CdUCuQ9AlxrShYjskao2whiKxrFxQZeTYJXwqhTijWkfI9w413-7hx-hjlqdnCxyt2E89y6~eUaiOVovCRNGqDGzc8vyQz5LaZbSOV7WbGsk79~FW0UsgZCmMj7f8zfyhO5~81KLR5OEzhdcDcMC6alhDZx9CVemKh6Tjsuiyj-hG1tqUseAsPukMM1GhmN8mKLjZWAWPhkzBVU10vcBCw01nZisoRILIlxmXv4yxopwdyQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ohio Legislature","date","2025-02-11T00:00:00Z","article","Major General John Harris, adjutant general for the state of Ohio, told the House Public Safety Committee the governor’s proposed general‑revenue appropriation would provide $16,790,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $16,990,000 for fiscal year 2027 to sustain personnel, cyber and counterdrug programs and expand behavioral‑health support for members of the Ohio National Guard.

Harris emphasized the Guard’s statewide role and community footprint, saying the department represents more than 16,000 soldiers, airmen, state defense force members and civilian employees and maintains roughly 1,500,000 square feet of facilities across 55 sites in 36 counties. \"This budget request allows the adjutant general's department to retain the capacity to alert, mobilize, and deploy personnel and equipment anywhere in the state or in the nation at a moment's notice by maintaining staffing levels,\" he told the committee.

A central theme of Harris’s testimony was the Ohio Cyber Reserve, created by Senate Bill 52 in 2019. Harris said the volunteer reserve expanded from 52 members in 2022 to 71 in 2024 and \"completed 88 nonemergency cyber missions resulting in 1,650,000.00 in cost savings to the state of Ohio and the municipalities throughout the state.\" He said the reserve has conducted vulnerability assessments and incident response work and that the department is partnering to prioritize water‑infrastructure assessments and to help entities meet National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity standards.

Harris described the counterdrug program as another growth area, saying it grew from 58 to 83 Guard members and that it provides administrative and analytic support embedded in federal, state and local law‑enforcement efforts. He said the program has contributed to substantial seizures and arrests, though the transcript did not record a clear, unambiguous figure for the cryptocurrency amount or the final arrest tally; Harris did say \"seizures totaling over 22,000,000 in traditional cash,\" and committee members asked staff to provide a detailed disposition of seized assets after the hearing.

Recruiting incentives also featured in the testimony. Harris credited the Bucks for Buckeyes program with helping boost accessions from about 1,135 new recruits in 2022 to roughly 1,700 last year, an increase he described as \"significant.\" He said maintaining recruiting momentum matters for readiness and the Guard’s ability to sustain domestic and overseas missions.

On mental‑health services, Harris said the department seeks additional psychological‑health coordinators and other behavioral‑health investments to reduce caseloads and provide care where service members are stationed. He described a desire for better predictive tools to identify at‑risk members earlier and said the department partners with the Ohio Department of Veterans Services and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services on peer support and other programs.

Members asked about border deployments and authorities. Harris said the Guard currently has no troops on the Southwest border and \"we have no orders\" for a deployment there, though he said pending mobilizations could change the mission set. He distinguished between deputized Texas National Guard personnel and the traditional federal mission for which Ohio Guard members have previously provided surveillance and support to Customs and Border Protection.

Harris also warned against state laws that would sharply restrict Guard mobilization for non‑declared wars, calling a movement to limit state Guard deployments a \"Trojan horse\" that would render the Guard less relevant and jeopardize federal resources and training tied to overseas missions.

The committee asked for follow‑up information on asset dispositions from counterdrug cases and on other program details. No formal committee action or vote was recorded in the transcript of the hearing on the appropriation request.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ohio House Public Safety Committee - 2-11-2025","oneSentenceSummary","Major General John Harris told the Public Safety Committee the governor’s budget would increase general revenue support for the Adjutant General’s Department to maintain personnel, expand cyber and counterdrug capacity, and invest in mental‑health services and facility upkeep.","taxTitle","Public Safety Committee, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Ohio","taxId",79292,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6297477,"Court of Claims seeks modest budget increase to cover payroll, technology and cybersecurity",389,161000,550000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2509942-6119812f9445bc8680357928fb341fe4&start=161&end=550","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2509942-6119812f9445bc8680357928fb341fe4/thumbnail_161000.jpg","/articles/6297477/Ohio/Court-of-Claims-seeks-modest-budget-increase-to-cover-payroll-technology-and-cybersecurity","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6297477-882806957dfe54d61e249f79072d6d55/orig.mp4?Expires=1771023284&Signature=gYoJQE2XG9dEKrSxXmGdo2LVrteAHtrAFYsFrubJ995fPEUE0RxdN~UJQrzsA3DD5dHCoL1H73wFqH~8mBEfvS1DesQHkER0Y7EatzfwKQumjJA0ARWaMnFumFTZ6oPFwrEdXWZjYu6aP-rryuaxk7F~EOTpEX-bZ7pKw3LnkPwghNomhK0O~issHkU0XZvYmUkkPfWcu6mtrsZ1OZc5RS9EhX0BrTG2HYzcxT9dkTZ2mBRgynoC6Yqtaypj5HL6qDqB2-3YC2Drehy3fhJgJdVngc~rVJxjl6h11ohOKU6al7BJcgA3ehi46mWFNpIDBfi2gKZEFTDWjIt0iRdeqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Anderson Renick, clerk of the Ohio Court of Claims, told the House Public Safety Committee that the court is requesting a total appropriation of $5,088,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $5,320,000 for fiscal year 2027 to cover statutory payroll adjustments, employee benefits and investments in technology and cybersecurity.

The request, Renick said, reflects a court that is primarily personnel‑driven: \"This budget is 84% payroll,\" he told the committee, noting the figure covers staff, special masters, magistrates and judges. He said 11% of the budget is for supplies and maintenance, 4% for purchased personal services such as court reporters and IT support, and 1% for equipment and courtroom technology.

The Court of Claims is the only statutory trial court with statewide jurisdiction that adjudicates civil actions against the state, hears certain appeals under the Victims of Crime Act, processes claims for wrongful imprisonment and offers a forum for public‑records disputes, Renick said. He told members the court’s FY2026–27 request is intended to preserve those core functions while continuing recent modernization efforts.

Renick outlined several technology and transparency efforts the court has undertaken, saying staff completed cloud migrations of case‑management systems, introduced email quarantine for suspicious messages and integrated courtroom equipment with Zoom to allow remote witnesses to share documents during hearings. \"The court's case management systems have been migrated to cloud based servers,\" he said. He also described an expanded open‑data portal that allows public access to case and financial information and said the court is updating its website.

Renick cited examples of external recognition: a Kent State journalism professor used the court’s data for a research paper that won a 2024 National Freedom of Information Coalition prize, and a Utah newspaper recently praised the court’s public‑records program. He said more than 60% of public‑records cases are resolved during mediation through the court’s online dispute resolution system.

Committee members questioned administrative details. Representative Miller asked about staffing; Renick said the court has 29 total personnel, including part‑time judges and one other part‑time staff member, and said staffing levels have been roughly consistent for about five years. Ranking Member Thomas asked about court reporters; Renick said the court still uses court reporters for live trials, particularly when an appeal or technical testimony could require a stenographic transcript, and otherwise records proceedings for smaller hearings.

Renick closed by saying the court would continue to seek savings where possible while maintaining services and offered to answer additional questions from the committee. No committee action or vote on the budget request was recorded in the transcript.

The testimony took place during the Public Safety Committee meeting; members asked clarifying questions but did not vote on the request during the session covered by the transcript.","Anderson Renick, clerk of the Ohio Court of Claims, told the House Public Safety Committee the court requests $5.088 million for FY2026 and $5.320 million for FY2027 to cover payroll, modernize technology and strengthen cybersecurity while maintaining services such as public‑records mediation.","actionData","errors"]

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Ohio National Guard asks for higher state funds to sustain cyber reserve, counterdrug and mental‑health programs

Court of Claims seeks modest budget increase to cover payroll, technology and cybersecurity