COLUMBUS—State Senator Jay Hottinger (R-Newark) today amended House Bill 377 to create a $500 million grant program for Appalachian Ohio. 

“As someone who represents a portion of Appalachia, I know this funding will go a long way to help this area of the state catch up economically," said Hottinger. "This investment is significant and future projects will have a region-wide positive impact for all residents of southern and eastern Ohio.”

The $500 million grant program, originally announced in Governor DeWine’s State of the State address, will pay for the planning and implementation of transformational projects to renew the 32 counties in the Appalachian region of Ohio. The funding will come from Ohio’s designation of American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
 
The Appalachian plan will focus on three funding priorities:

• Infrastructure for downtown redevelopment, multi-community trails, outdoor community space, community arts, history and culture, as well as access to telemedicine
   


• Workforce for public-private partnerships designed to build and coordinate technical, educational, clinical, and workforce infrastructure
   


• Healthcare for investments in community-based services to address physical and behavioral health needs, as well as substance use disorder.