COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine addressed Ohioans for his final State of the State address on Tuesday afternoon.

DeWine kicked off the address by reflecting on what his administration has done for the State of Ohio, including efforts to implement the "Science of Reading" into Ohio's schools, decreasing infant mortality rates, job creation and more.

On the topic of job creation, DeWine brought up companies like defense companies Anduril and Sierra Nevada Corporation, aviation company Joby Aviation and biotechnology company Amgen.

"We have not even begun to fully feel the economic impact of these victories yet. And what lies ahead is truly, truly going to be great," DeWine said.

DeWine then talked about Ohio's Governor's Merit Scholarship, which he says encourages more and more college students to stay in Ohio for college, and in turn seek jobs in Ohio.

DeWine also brought up his H2Ohio program and what it has done for bodies of water and the quality of drinking water in Ohio.

DeWine also discussed the successes of ongoing efforts to train the state's future teachers on the science of reading, as well as provide free vision screenings and glasses to Ohio's students through the OhioSEE program and reducing chronic absenteeism in Ohio's schools.

However, DeWine says he still has unfinished business to take care of during his final months as Ohio's governor.

Firstly, DeWine discussed reading, stating that First Lady Fran DeWine is continuing to work to put books in the hands of Ohio's children by working to expand Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in Ohio.

DeWine said at the beginning of his term, the Imagination Library was only available in certain parts of Ohio, but it has expanded further and further during his term.

"This month, nearly 419,000 Ohio children will have received books in the mail, and since the start of my administration, over 25 million imagination library books have been mailed to children," DeWine said.

DeWine then discussed the impact this has had on the early literacy skills of Ohio's children.

"If you compare to those who do not receive the books, their understanding of print is three times stronger, their vocabulary is six times stronger, their ability to recognize and manipulate spoken sounds is seven times stronger. These are all critical skills that help children learn how to read when they enter kindergarten and put them on a path to long-term success right from the very start," DeWine said.

Still on the topic of education, DeWine talked about healthy habits in children. DeWine brought up Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel's "Team Tressel Fitness Challenge" that saw Tressel going to schools across Ohio to discuss healthy life habits like exercise, nutrition and sleep habits.

DeWine says that more than 390,000 students in 1,300 schools across Ohio are participating in the challenge to date.

In response to Dewine's statements on children's health habits, Ohio State Representative (D) Dani Isaacsohn said that though the governor brought up the positives of programs like the Fitness Challenge, he did not bring up topics that he claims impact all Ohioans.

"With all due respect to our lieutenant governor, a wall sit is not going to take care of gun violence...as much as what the governor spoke about is what he left out. He didn't talk about property taxes keeping people out of their homes. He didn't talk about childcare and housing being out of reach for too many families. He didn't talk about the affordability crisis; he talked about the Presidential Fitness Test, which is good, but it's not what Ohioans need," said Representative Isaacsohn.

Nickie Antonio, the Ohio State Senate Minority Leader (D), also responded to DeWine's address, saying many Ohioans are struggling every day to get the essentials they need to survive.

"Many Ohioans and Ohio families are living in crisis mode. Ohioans are struggling to find affordable, quality childcare, keep a roof over their head and food in the fridge," said Senator Antonio.

Additionally, Senator Antonio discussed how issues like affordability could keep Ohioans from staying in the state and that Republican strategies lack progress.

"[Republicans] said their goal was to create jobs and actually keep young people and families in Ohio, but the numbers show these failed strategies have created a wealth gap... Ohio is expected to lose 675,000 people by 2050 due in large part to a lack of professional opportunities and an unwelcoming atmosphere created by culture war nonsense," said Senator Antonio.

DeWine discussed his recent ban on cell phones in schools and the impact it has had on students' social lives and ability to learn in school, but said there is more that needs to be done to keep kids away from screens even off school grounds.

"Hours on a cell phone, an iPad or a Chromebook is time our children are not outside playing with their friends, time they're not getting enough sleep, time they're not reading enough books, time they're not exercising or playing sports, time they're not learning real social skills, many of the other skills that will help them live up to their full potential," DeWine said.

DeWine called on Ohio's General Assembly to pass legislation to possess, create or distribute AI-generated child sexual abuse material, hold tech companies accountable to encourage or suggest someone to harm themselves or others and require tech companies to automatically implement parental control features on electronic devices to regulate what children can do on their devices and for how long.

"Democrats are ready for bipartisan deliberation, discussion, holding the companies accountable as this technology continues to evolve," said Senator Antonio.

DeWine also called on parents to do their part to reduce their childrens' screen time as well.

"Something as simple as putting your child's phone away an hour before they go to sleep. ... That could be a good first step. Or parents can restrict their childrens' devices so they cannot have access to apps maybe between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Up to parents, not us, but are two simple things [that are a] pretty good way to start," DeWine said.

Still on the topic of screen time, DeWine discussed legislation passed in 2022 to crack down on distracted driving in Ohio and make using an electronic device while driving a primary offense.

"If you compare the first two years of enforcement of this law to the two years before this enforcement began, Ohio has had 18,000 fewer crashes and 280 fewer traffic deaths," DeWine said.

DeWine called on the General Assembly to go a step further and pass legislation to make children in the back seat of a car not wearing a seatbelt a primary offense as well.

"Under current law, incredibly, an officer does not have the authority to stop a car solely for seeing a child that's old enough to be out of a car seat who is crawling or jumping around unbuckled in the back seat. ... We must change the law to protect our children," DeWine said.

DeWine predicts that if this law were to pass, five lives would be saved per month in Ohio.

DeWine concluded his final address with optimism for the future of Ohio.

"I've never believed more strongly that Ohio's greatest accomplishments and greatest days are truly ahead of us. The greatest days for our workers, the greatest days for our children and the greatest days for every Ohio family," DeWine said.