Photo Provided Ohio state Sen. Brian Chavez, R-Marietta, speaks during a legislative session.

COLUMBUS — State Sen. Brian Chavez, R-Marietta, announced his enthusiastic support for the State Capital Improvement Program, otherwise known as the “SCIP” in the Ohio General Assembly.

Originally funded in 1987, voters have renewed the program three times, beginning in 1995, 2005 and 2014. The money raised from the sale of bonds backed by the state of Ohio helps fund road, bridge, sewer and other infrastructure projects in communities around the state.

“These are projects people recognize and pay attention to,” Chavez said. “This makes a difference in neighborhoods around the state, the places people call home, and it doesn’t raise anyone’s taxes.”

This spring, the “SCIP” will be Issue 2 on election ballots. It will fund projects around the state.

To date, the program has helped fund more than 19,000 grants and loans for vital projects in all 88 counties that apply for funding from the program.

Chavez was a co-sponsor of the Senate Joint Resolution to place the program back before the voters and also voted for the final version of the bill, House Joint Resolution 8,that officially placed the program on May’s ballot.

“This program has stood the test of time,” Chavez said. “For nearly forty years it has provided critical funding for projects while remaining solvent through the state’s excellent bond ratings. The SCIP is simply a value added program, and I respectfully ask the voters to approve Issue 2.”

A total of $250 million in bonds can be issued each of the 10 years of the program with a cap of $2.5 billion over the decade.

Chavez also served as the designee in developing the argument for Issue 2 that voters will see at their polling place.