Numeric news from Policy Matters 3: Number of key components of a successful continuum of care for people experiencing a mental health crisis: someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere to go. Cleveland’s passage of Tanisha’s Law and the countywide expansion of Frontline’s Care Response program are positive steps
$1,088,091: Amount by which the state budget — signed last year by Gov. Mike DeWine — will underfund public schools in East Cleveland. The governor singled out East Cleveland City Schools in his State of the State address, rightly celebrating recent improvements in the district. What he failed to mention
$68,812: According to our friends at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), that’s the average annual reduction (since 2005) in state taxes paid by the highest-income 1% of Ohioans — those with annual income over $753,900. That’s enough to buy a new Lexus every year. $459: Average annual reduction
$4.2M: Amount of funding the federal government has cut from Springfield’s Clark County in the past year. That’s before the economic gut-punch of pushing thousands of Haitian immigrants out of the labor force — as the Trump administration aims to do by stripping them of their Temporary Protected Status. This
In our previous issue, we paid tribute to Michael Charney and Rick McHugh. This week we published Zach Schiller’s remembrance of Michael, and shared reflections on Rick and his legacy from Zach and others who knew him. 9%: The meager percentage of workers who would actually benefit from “no tax
When: January 14, 2026, at 12:00pm Where: 200 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio 43215 Who: Community members and labor leaders will rally in front of the Social Security Administration building at 200 N. High St. in Columbus to urge Senators Moreno and Husted to vote for extending ACA Health Insurance Marketplace enhanced premium tax credits. On January 8, the House of Representatives
We are deeply saddened by the passing of educator, activist, and Policy Matters co-founder Michael Charney. We remain profoundly grateful and humbled to be one part of the immeasurable impact he and C.J. Prentiss had on the world. A retired Cleveland teacher, Michael devoted nearly 75 years to the transformative work of educating, organizing, and making peaceful change. With C.J., his beloved partner in life and purpose, Michael shaped the course of innumerable lives, including that of his friend, Scott Stephens, who offered this remembrance. We hope that
$7.25: The subminimum hourly wage for youth under 16 in Ohio. That’s one (awful) reason lawmakers supported S.B. 50, which would have rolled back child labor protections by extending work hours for kids ages 14-15. Last month, the legislature sent the bill to Gov. DeWine, who took his sweet time
Virtual Town Hall with Policy Matters and Protect Our Care When: Thursday, December 11, 7:00 PMWhere: On Zoom Press: Register hereEveryone else: Register here Who: Vaishu Jawahar, Director of Policy Programs, Protect Our Care; and Hannah Halbert, Executive Director, Policy Matters Ohio Ohioans are experiencing sticker shock as they consider
$1.1T: Cuts to federal funding for health care in the next decade, made by Congress in H.R. 1 — which even the president has stopped calling “beautiful.” That includes the largest Medicaid funding cut in history. $187B: Cuts to SNAP funding in the next decade, also made in the federal
23.3%: Amount by which the average residential electricity bill in Ohio increased in July 2025 over the previous year — the third-largest increase in the country. That spike was driven in large part by increased demand from data centers, massive facilities necessary for digital technologies ranging from artificial intelligence to cryptocurrency.
20-25%: Share of electricity Ohio imports from other states via the regional transmission grid managed and operated by PJM Interconnection. House Bill 427 could help reduce that reliance — and your electric bill — by allowing Ohioans to opt into demand response programs. Customers who do so will have their
