Saturday Stats

Numeric news from Policy Matters

8.07%: Sales tax rate Ohio would have to implement just to make up half the revenue lost under a plan by anti-government legislators to eliminate the state income tax. That would be the highest state sales tax in the nation, disproportionately harm the lowest-income Ohioans, and further shift the cost of public services onto the people who can least afford it. Bailey Williams breaks it down in a new brief, featuring data from our friends at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

641K: Number of Ohioans who were members of labor unions last year. That is good for all of them, and for other workers, who benefit when employers have to compete for employees with unionized shops. But strong unions and great contracts don’t just happen: Among other things, organizers and bargaining teams need accurate, up-to-date information about the labor market and the economy in general. That’s where we come in. Check out (and print and share) our new resource, 6 reasons collective bargaining matters.

$40K: Amount we need to raise to redesign our website. That’s significantly less than the total cost thanks to a gift from the Saint Luke’s Foundation. We have big plans to transform our website from a place to store and display our research into a community hub where organizers, policymakers, and advocates like you can get the resources you need to do your work. If you have the means, please donate to our website project.

Watchlist

Here are some of the bills we’re tracking. Unless otherwise noted, the best action you can take is to call or email your state legislators and tell them to support, oppose, or amend these bills.

SB 256: This bill would (a) improve the state Earned Income Tax Credit by adding refundable options, and (b) raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour for some employees — but not tipped workers — by January 2026. We support some elements and recommend changing others. For details, read our testimony on the minimum wage component, and testimony on the EITC component.

HB 570: This bill would make employees of child care centers eligible for publicly funded childcare. We support it, and would like to see eligibility expanded even more, to all families with income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. (That’s $6,455 per month and $77,460 annually for a family of three.) Read our report on Ohio’s childcare crisis.

HB 197 / SB 247:These companion bills would create a pilot program for community solar in Ohio. Community solar projects reduce energy costs for participants while increasing the amount of clean energy available in the state. A pilot program is a start: We support this bill as a way to begin growing community solar resources in Ohio. Our testimony on HB 197 is available to read and to watch, courtesy of the Ohio Channel.

SB 37 / HB 29: These companion bills would change some of the rules about how the state uses driver’s license suspension as a punishment for certain offenses. SB 37 limits the use of suspensions for an array of offenses, whereas HB 29 only pertains to license suspension as a penalty for failure to pay child support. Neither bill goes far enough: SB 37 is better than HB 29; HB 29 is better than nothing.

Action items

Take/share this survey of Ohioans impacted by felony convictions. Even after serving sentences, people with felony convictions face lasting (sometimes permanent) limits on their basic civil rights. To learn more about the fight against collateral sanctions, check out this recent piece from Maria Montanez, a fellow with Building Freedom Ohio, part of Ohio Organizing Collaborative.

Sign the petitions to put a $15 minimum wage and fair maps on the ballot in November. Use Red Wine & Blue’s simple tool to find a signature-gathering event near you!

Listen to Season 2 of What’s Good Ohio?! (The podcast is taking its summer vacation, but Season 3 is already in the works!)

Subscribe to our Linktree for links to all our latest work.

Follow us on Reddit, where we’re trying out a new way of engaging with activists, organizers, and advocates from all over the state, and beyond!

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