Saturday Stats

70%: Share of respondents to our survey of felony-impacted Ohioans (conducted in partnership with Building Freedom Ohio) who reported experiencing at least one conviction-related denial of employment or getting fired from a job after a background check. The Get Rehabilitated Ohioans Working (GROW) Act could help more people get back to work after a conviction by automating the sealing of criminal records. It was introduced in the previous General Assembly, but stalled in committee. Legislators should prioritize passing it this time around. Read more about the survey, our findings, and other policy recommendations in the new report from Piet van Lier.

114%: Amount by which average HealthcareMarketplace insurance premiums will increase next year unless Congress renews the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits, which are set to expire December 31. According to analysis from KFF, annual premiums will jump from a nationwide average of $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ reports that a 60-year-old couple in Ohio with $82K income should expect their Marketplace premiums to rise more than $15K. Check out KFF’s interactive tool to calculate what premium increases could look like based on your family size and income.

$124: Per-pupil amount the state will provide —  as a “performance supplement” — to school districts where only a very small share of students live in poverty.

$28: Per-pupil performance supplement in districts with very high shares of students living in poverty. The Fair School Funding Plan was designed to correct this kind of disparity, but state legislators abandoned it. We released our final statewide analysis of school funding in the FY2026-27 budget, with factsheets showing the impact on each district.

25.4%: Share of Ohio households that were unable to pay an energy bill in full in 2024. Legislators have options that would make it easier for Ohioans to afford their energy bills. One possibility is HB 303, a bill that creates a pilot program to support the development of community energy facilities, including those that use solar and other renewable fuel sources. In written testimony to the House Energy Committee, Molly Bryden explained how the bill could also stabilize Ohio’s energy grid by generating more power here in Ohio.

$1.7B: Amount of revenue HB 186 will cost Ohio school districts over three years — including 107 districts that will lose at least 10% of the property tax they would otherwise have collected, and eight districts that will lose more than 20%.

$545K+: Average Federal Adjusted Gross Income (FAGI) in Ohio’s Indian Hill school district in 2023 — the highest in the state that year. HB 186 would cut property taxes in Indian Hill.

$37K+: Average FAGI in the East Cleveland school district in 2023 — the lowest in the state. HB 186 would not cut property taxes in East Cleveland, nor in Youngstown, Warren City, Northridge Local, Sandusky City, or Warrensville Heights school districts, which are also among the 10 poorest districts in the state. That striking disparity shows just how poorly targeted HB 186 is. A property tax circuit breaker would help those who need it while ensuring schools don’t lose revenue.

433.3M: Number of shares of Intel stock purchased last month by the federal government — a nearly 10% stake in the chip-manufacturing corporation. Bailey Sandin takes a closer look at the deal in the most recent issue of CHIPS Ahoy!, our new monthly newsletter that covers Ohio projects funded by the federal CHIPS and Science Act — especially Intel’s “Ohio One” project. Check out issues 1, 2, and 3 — and sign up to have new issues sent straight to your inbox!

$0: Amount you’ll pay for pizza at our State of Working Ohio Roadshow in Youngstown on October 16th! We’re heading back to Westside Bowl to discuss how Ohio’s economy is (and isn’t) working for Ohio workers. The free pizza comes with a side of conversation among labor leaders and other experts — and a guarantee that we’ll wrap things up before the Steelers/Bengals game kicks off at 8:15! Get all the details and RSVP here!

PMO History: Policy Matters staff, board members, and friends, past and present, gathered in Cleveland on September 30th to celebrate our 25th birthday. Founding director Amy Hanauer told the story of our bold beginning as a labor-friendly think tank and how she created Policy Matters with little more than a clear vision and a strong community of supporters and champions. Current director Hannah Halbert joined board member Claudia Cortez from the Central Ohio Worker Center to tell the story of how a think tank and a grassroots community organization can multiply their power to make real policy change together. We were delighted and humbled to receive formal proclamations from the Ohio Senate, the city of Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County honoring this milestone and the contributions of Policy Matters Ohio. Hannah ended the night by renewing our commitment to making a more vibrant, equitable, sustainable, and inclusive Ohio through progressive public policy that benefits all Ohioans.

Amy Hanauer & Hannah Halbert celebrate Policy Matters Ohio’s 25th birthday.

Action items

RSVP for A Work & Reentry Experience in Cleveland on October 7, where Towards Employment alumni will share about their reentry experience.

Cleveland youth ages 14 – 18: RSVP for Co-creating Safer Communities: A Restorative Dialogue, a safe space for to share experiences and collaboratively develop realistic, measurable, and youth-informed recommendations for improving police-youth interactions in Cleveland. 

Subscribe to CHIPS Ahoy!

RSVP to our SOWO Roadshow event in Youngstown.

Share this link with someone you think would enjoy Saturday Stats: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/subscribe-to-saturday-stats-2