Saturday Stats

19: Line items in the final version of the state budget bill that we recommend Gov. DeWine veto. First among them is the budget-busting $1.1B flax-tax proposal that would primarily benefit the wealthiest households in the state, and do nothing for those making less than $100K a year. The governor is expected to sign the budget into law on Monday; by the time you read this, he will likely have already decided which items to veto. But if he shows up to a full voicemail box on Monday morning, who knows? You can leave a message at his office: (614)644-4357 and (614)466-3555. Tell him to veto the flat tax specifically or have him check out our home page, where he’ll find a link to all our veto recommendations.

$23.9B: Amount Ohioans paid in property taxes in 2024. Those taxes support schools, libraries, senior services, community colleges, and other public services that benefit everyone. More of that support should come from the state, with revenue collected through a progressive income tax. But since the Ohio legislature has spent decades cutting income taxes to benefit the wealthy, localities have relied more and more on property taxes. The result is some reasonable frustration on the part of some homeowners — but the solution proposed goes way too far. Learn more in this op-ed from Bailey Williams.

$70K: Average annual tax cut delivered to the wealthiest 1% in the nation by the tax policies in the big, ugly federal budget bill. That’s a calculation from our friends at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, presented by PMO’s founder Amy Hanauer on our recent town hall with North Shore AFL-CIO. The town hall featured allies from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and Power a Clean Future Ohio, plus a bevy of resources and calls to action, which you can find on our website.

11: Number of rural Ohio hospitals threatened by Medicaid cuts to pay for the tax puts in the federal budget bill. Nationwide, rural communities would lose 430 hospitals. No word yet on whether Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno — who has promised that “Anybody who needs Medicaid is going to receive Medicaid” — has any plans to stand up for Ohioans and against these cuts. Someone should contact his office to find out!

4.9%: Ohio’s unemployment rate in May, which is 0.7 percentage points higher than the U.S. rate of 4.2%, and among the highest in the nation. Sweeping cuts to federal funding programs, mass deportation efforts, and an uncertain global trade landscape all have severe implications for Ohio’s economy. When you also consider impending cuts to federal funding for public services, Ohio lawmakers should be focused on creating an economy that works for working Ohioans, instead of redirecting critical public investments from our communities to pay for tax breaks for Ohio’s wealthiest. You can get all the details in this month’s JobWatch from Molly Bryden.

PMO History: This year, Policy Matters and our partners at the Central Ohio Worker Center celebrated the passage of the Paystub Protection Act. It requires employers to provide a paystub to all employees, making it easier for workers to fight common forms of wage theft. Policy Matters has long advocated for a paystub requirement, starting in 2020 with a report on the need for such legislation and subsequent testimony in support of the late State Representative Brigid Kelly’s initial proposal. That bill never got voted out of committee, and another attempt fell flat the following year. But third time’s a charm, and the paystub bill became law this April. We testified in favor of it, but what really made the difference this time was the Central Ohio Worker Center, whose members  — working in fields like care work, day labor, and construction — shared stories about wage theft and other pay discrepancy issues that would have been resolved or avoided if they had been issued a simple paystub. It’s a great example of how the experiences of everyday Ohioans should shape public policy.

Watchlist

H.B. 96, the state budget bill, will be signed into law by Gov. DeWine next week. It’s a terrible budget that mortgages Ohio’s future to pay for another wave of tax giveaways to the rich at the expense of everyday Ohioans. The governor can mitigate some of the damage with line-item vetoes.

H.B. 335 is a poorly targeted, harmful alternative to the property tax circuit breaker proposed in bipartisan bills S.B. 22 and S.B. 190. It should be rejected in favor of those far more responsible, effective proposals.

Action Items

• Mobilize to join the North Shore AFL-CIO’s July 1 Rally in Cleveland.
• Sign onto the North Shore AFL-CIO’s Action Network Letter 
• Sign onto the UFCW’s Action to Protect SNAP 
• Join the letter-writing campaign by Building Freedom Ohio to support H.B. 29, which would ensure all correctional facilities provide adequate feminine hygiene products free of charge.
• Follow the Ohio Medicaid Matters coalition on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. You can also share how Medicaid has made a difference in your life.
• Get Saturday Stats in your inbox.