On Jan. 31, at noon, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine gave his first State of the State address of his second term.

   To start out his speech, DeWine focused on the children. He hopes to reduce infant mortality rates, increase literacy, improve access to childcare, and make it easier for Ohio families to adopt. 

   In addition to his efforts to help the children, he also talked about Dolly Parton’s child literature initiative that Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine has assisted with: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Ohio.

  “The Imagination Library mails more than 2 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to enrolled children from birth to age five,” DeWine’s website said. “Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading, inspiring children to dream more, learn more, care more, and be more.”

   DeWine also focussed a lot on mental health. He wants to use Ohio’s brightest minds and, if need be, recruit professionals from other states to Ohio, so that Ohioans can get the care they need. 

   According to Dayton Daily News, “DeWine is calling for the creation of the State of Ohio Action for Resiliency Network, or the SOAR Network, for a comprehensive and multi-year research study that will include an interdisciplinary research team of counselors, social workers, sociologists, nurses, psychologists, and medical doctors from across the state.”

  He also discussed the budget. His budget plans include not only improvement for mental health and children, but also plans to improve job rates, public safety, and better house prices.