By rolling back tax cuts for the wealthy and closing tax loopholes that mostly benefit corporations, Ohio lawmakers could boost the state’s economy with 39,601 new jobs, $1.7 billion in increased wages and add $2 billion to the state’s GDP. These are the findings from Policy Matters Ohio, which worked
Introduction Policymakers in Ohio have cut taxes for the wealthy at the expense of paying for services that help our communities thrive. Common-sense tax restorations on those who can afford to pay more could instead allow direct investments in schools, local governments, aid for college and public transit systems. Such
Good afternoon Chairman Burke, Vice Chair Beagle, Ranking Member Tavares, and members of the Senate Health, Human Services & Medicaid Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony on Substitute H.B. 119. My name is Victoria Jackson, and I am a researcher with Policy Matters Ohio, a nonpartisan,
Introduction Post-secondary education prepares students to meet future challenges and pursue their dreams. Increasingly, Americans need some form of higher education to make a living wage. States that invest in higher education have higher productivity and higher wages. Higher education helps build communities and brighter futures. Unfortunately, the high cost
Ohio’s piddling public investment in higher education over the last decade has made going to college more expensive, leaving many students with little choice but to take on more debt or give up on their dreams. The problem is especially serious for Black, Latinx, and low-income students. Ohio is one
Student loan debt is crushing Ohioans, who owe a combined $57 billion. On average, Ohio undergraduate students who attend public universities and community colleges borrow $23,116 and $15,767, respectively. Students in Ohio struggle more with student debt than students nationally. Ohio has one of the highest rates of student debt
The future of 230 Ohio college students hangs in the balance. The school, the for-profit Harrison College, suddenly closed earlier this month, after receiving hundreds of thousands in state tax dollars. Without offering an explanation, on September 14 Harrison College announced on its website it would cease all operations on
Land installment contracts, once a tool for speculators to exploit black families barred from access to traditional mortgages, have made a resurgence in Ohio since the foreclosure crisis. Under these arrangements, buyers accrue zero equity in their home until the entire cost, plus interest, taxes, leins, and fees, are paid
Introduction Housing is a basic need that can be exploited for a profit. For some, homeownership provides stability and wealth, but many who aspire to own a home are taken advantage of by predatory lending practices. Communities that are locked out of traditional home buying because of income, race, and
Yesterday, the House of Representatives narrowly passed a partisan, flawed and harmful Farm Bill that would take food aid away from 2 million people. Policy Matters Ohio’s State Policy Fellow Victoria Jackson released the following statement: “The Farm Bill passed yesterday in the House would make it harder for the
Last week, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Acting Director Mick Mulvaney announced plans to close the CFPB’s Office for Students and Young Consumers by merging it with the Office for Financial Education. This will weaken the CFPB’s ability to stand up for borrowers. The Office for Students and Young Consumers
More than 1.4 million Ohioans in nearly 700,000 households rely on federal food assistance to get by. And with many of Ohio’s most-common jobs paying wages so low that a family of three would need help affording food, we can expect this number to grow. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
