COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- State agencies providing mental-health and substance-abuse services in Ohio will be merged pending legislative approval.

The administration of Gov. John Kasich (KAY'-sik) says the merger will reduce bureaucratic clutter.

The move was announced Friday and involves the Ohio Department of Mental Health and the Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services.

They will be merged July 1 pending legislative approval.

The new agency would have a combined 2,500 employees and a budget in excess of $650 million.

State officials tell The Columbus Dispatch (http://bit.ly/JKnP7j ) that layoffs are not expected, although the combined work force may shrink with attrition.

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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com