Lame duck is an opportunity for legislators to act on data centers (and more)
This piece was originally published on Cleveland.com on November 1, 2026. In small towns, suburbs and urban centers throughout the state, everyday Ohioans have formed grassroots campaigns to raise concerns about the rapid growth of hyperscale data centers — and often to oppose data center development in their communities. And yet, with Ohio’s 136th General […]
Youth pay-to-stay fees have got to go
This piece was originally published by the Fines and Fees Justice Center as part of Youth Justice Action Month 2026. Of the many counterproductive and unfair financial sanctions used by the justice system, youth “pay-to-stay” fees, which require children and families to pay for their stays in detention or placement, are among the most egregious. In […]
What’s next for driver’s-license suspension reform?
What leaders accomplished and what’s left to do Thousands of Ohioans lose their driver’s license every year for financial reasons, not dangerous driving. Suspensions related to debt or insurance noncompliance turn a problem (not having enough money) into a crime. In other words, they criminalize poverty. Ohio started to address this issue with HB 29, […]
Gas tax holiday won’t make Ohio affordable; legislators have better options
For Ohioans struggling with the rising cost of groceries, healthcare, childcare, and utilities, any savings can help. But the legislature’s headline-grabbing 3-month gas tax holiday is misguided in at least three critical ways: It will have only a small, temporary impact on gas prices; it drains the budget at a time when schools, childcare, and […]
A fair share tax could help balance Ohio’s tax code
This piece was originally published in the Columbus Dispatch on September 16, 2026. There’s a push around the country for more fair tax systems. Recently, voters in Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Washington joined other states in passing taxes on high earners, often focused on taxpayers earning over $1 million. Even more states are following, […]
As feds allege SNAP fraud, Ohio public employees step up
This piece was originally published by Cleveland.com For too many Ohioans, sticker shock at the grocery store has become an overwhelming part of daily life. It’s not anyone’s imagination: Monthly grocery costs across the nation have been steadily rising over the last nine years. Although wages have generally increased for Ohio workers since the pandemic, they aren’t […]
Intel took our money, but hasn’t delivered on childcare promises
This piece was originally published in the Columbus Dispatch on August 4, 2026. Then-President Joe Biden on August 9, 2022, signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law, creating a $280 billion investment in semiconductor research and manufacturing in the United States. Intel had committed to investing in Ohio about six months earlier, and the investment from the CHIPS and Science Act was able to increase what was […]
Ohio should stop charging families to lock up their kids
This piece was originally published on Cleveland.com on June 28, 2026. A family dealing with Ohio’s juvenile legal system is already burdened by the emotional and financial toll it can take on all parties. Justice-involved children and their guardians should not be charged for their imprisonment as well. Yet Ohio law allows state and county […]
Ohio has bipartisan models for changing course on data center tax breaks
Ohio needs to curb the data-center tax break that cost $2 billion in state and local revenue last year. If the billions being given out to Amazon, Google, Meta and others can’t be easily reined in, legislators should approve other taxes to fill in for some of the losses. Recent action in other states shows […]
Andy’s Law would cut programs that reduce violence in prison
Provision makes Andy’s Law less likely to have its intended effect In December 2024 Officer Andrew Lansing was killed while working overtime on Christmas morning alone in the center of the prison yard at Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe. Ross Correctional Institution is a mid to high security prison that houses level 2-3 prisoners. (Ohio […]
Ohio lawmakers should protect unions instead of attacking them
This piece originally appeared on Cleveland.com on May 17, 2026. Public sector workers across the country — including here in Ohio — are responding to renewed attacks on collective bargaining by organizing their workplaces. Despite an overall decline in union representation statewide, Ohio’s public sector employees ended 2025 with a net gain, adding more than […]
Cleveland’s crisis care continuum
Someone to call. Someone to respond. Somewhere to go. Over the past few months, a variety of decisions have been impacting Cleveland’s crisis care continuum — some in the direction of progress, others not so much. Through the good, bad, ugly, and indifferent, advocates and impacted residents from all corners of our communities and behavioral […]