Saturday Stats

$3.8B: Amount of additional funding legislators could raise for public schools, childcare, healthcare and other public services by implementing the six policy proposals that make up our new tax platform. 

$1.8B: Amount of targeted tax relief legislators could send to Ohioans who need it most by implementing that same plan. As Bailey Williams point out in his report on our proposals, the combination of increased revenue for public services and targeted tax relief for low- and middle-income Ohioans would begin to reverse decades of tax changes that have primarily benefitted the very wealthiest households. 

$900M: Amount of federal funding potentially available to Ohio workers who were harmed by Gov. DeWine’s decision to prematurely cut off Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation payments in 2021. A judge has ordered DeWine to restore the lost benefits — simply a matter of requesting the feds pay out the funds, which remain set aside and waiting for the governor to act. Zach Schiller asks what the governor is waiting for. 

893: Number of children receiving reduced-cost childcare (as of Oct. 2024) through Michigan’s Tri-Share program, through which parents pay a third of the cost, with their employer and the state covering the rest.  

5200: Number of children receiving free childcare (as of Nov. 2024), thanks to Kentucky’s free childcare for childcare workers program. Ali Smith compares the two programs in a new brief, arguing that Ohio should use Kentucky as a model, rather than mimicking Michigan, which the Ohio House and Senate are currently considering. 

2.4%: Amount of funding for public transit in Ohio that came from the state in 2023. That is a smaller share than in 41 other states, and worse than in 2022. The comparison is possible because of updated data from the Federal Transit Administration’s Transit Database, which Molly Bryden used to create this new factsheet in honor of Ohio Loves Transit Week.  

81.5%: Share of Ohioans who think public transit is important for both urban and rural communities, according to ODOT’s Statewide Transportation Preference Survey. Despite that public support, the governor’s budget proposal holds General Revenue Fund allocations flat (which, when adjusting for inflation, amounts to a cut). In this video — part of Power A Clean Future Ohio’s Sustainability School, Molly Bryden explains how investments in public transit can improve life in Ohio. 

PMO History: Foundations have provided the financial fuel for our work throughout our history. The George Gund Foundation provided Policy Matters Ohio with our first substantial grant in 2000. With this funding, we hired our first researcher (and current research director), Zach Schiller, and moved into our own office space on Euclid Ave. in Cleveland. The George Gund Foundation continues to be a critical partner in our work, recently awarding Policy Matters with grant funding to support our general operating needs and our criminal legal system work.  

Watchlist 

Ohio’s 136th General Assembly is in session and we’re keeping tabs on the good, bad, and ugly legislation our elected representatives in Columbus are working on. Here are three to watch. For our full list, visit our website. Please call or email your state legislators and tell them to support, oppose, or amend these bills. 

HB 96 is the state budget bill. It’s the main way the state funds public services, and it should include the priorities we describe in our budget platform and our new tax platform. Much of our work in the coming months will be focused on this bill as it moves through the legislature. 

SB 50 would extend the hours during which 14- and 15-year-olds may work on a school night to 9:00 pm. Currently, schools must sign off on a minor’s ability to work to ensure it doesn’t impact their academic performance. This bill would allow work permits with only a parent/guardian’s signature, putting low-income families in a position of choosing between their child’s development and financial support. It should be rejected by the legislature. 

Action items 

Join All in For Ohio Kids’ monthly school funding action call to hear more about upcoming threats and opportunities for fair school funding this budget year. Third Thursday of every month, on Zoom at 7pm. Details and registration here. 

If you’re in the neighborhood, join Health Policy Institute of Ohio for an in-person lunch & learn to explore how Ohio leaders can create opportunities for residents of the Mahoning Valley to thrive. Featuring PMO board member Sarah Lowry! Thursday, March 6 at 11:30am in Warren. Free to attend, but reservation required.