News from Policy Matters: Deforming the tax code
Tax (de)form moves forward: President Trump and Congressional Republicans are selling us a bill of goods – claiming their plan to overhaul the tax code will spur economic growth and help the middle class. But their plan skews heavily to the wealthy and corporations and paves the way for the slashing of important programs like […]
News from Policy Matters: New payday rule, not enough funding for school
Payday’s bad day: If you’re a payday lender, you’re not happy with the new rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau last week. If you’re a consumer caught in the debt trap, you know how badly needed it is. Along with state and national allies, Policy Liaison Kalitha Williams pushed hard to rein in […]
Dead bill and waiting, still: News from Policy Matters
We’re so tired of waiting: A committee to review the $9 billion a year Ohio spends on tax breaks still hasn’t met and is months behind schedule. Some tax breaks make sense, many of them are costly and unproductive. The General Assembly passed a bill to form the review committee to make sure Ohioans are […]
SNAPchat: News from Policy Matters
The data is in: The U.S. Census Bureau released income and poverty data this week proving what many of us already know: Federal programs like food aid, refundable tax credits, Social Security and the Affordable Care Act make Americans healthier and less poor. Hannah Halbert found that last year marked the first time ever that […]
Total eclipse of the heart: News from Policy Matters
Turn around: Every now and then we get a little bit angry that the General Assembly fails to close unproductive tax loopholes. But on the bright side, after years of tax cuts for Ohio’s wealthiest, the 2018-2019 budget doesn’t significantly cut revenues for public services. There’s still a lot of work today and we give […]
Bending the arc: News from Policy Matters
Slash and burn budget: Like many of you, we watched the events in Charlottesville in horror last weekend. We continued to be horrified as President Trump defended white supremacists. That’s why we are more determined than ever to dismantle all forms of white supremacy — including those that exist in our laws and policies, like […]
News from Policy Matters: Dancing in the street
Policy Matters Executive Director Amy Hanauer discusses smart trade policy at a hearing on NAFTA Drowning in debt: More than 687,000 Ohioans owe a combined $19 billion in federal student loan debt. Many struggle to make payments and have enough money left over to cover basic expenses. That’s why the Ohio Student Association and Policy […]
Zombie slaying summer fun: News from Policy Matters
Keeping ‘em honest: Last December, Ohio passed a bill that created a special committee to review the state’s more than $9 billion worth of tax breaks. As our Zach Schiller pointed out Monday, committee nominations were due in April. As of Monday, state legislative leaders still hadn’t nominated a single member. The day after we […]
Resistance is NOT futile: News from Policy Matters
Veto victories: Governor Kasich protected Medicaid expansion with a crucial veto of the legislature’s attempt to undermine it. Then the legislature protected counties and transit agencies from even more cuts, with a crucial override of the Governor’s veto of this funding. Confused yet? Medicaid expansion provided 723,000 previously uninsured Ohioans with health coverage. After the […]
Can’t stop, won’t stop: News from Policy Matters
We’re standing up to attacks on programs that help everyday Ohioans live healthy and productive lives. Zach Schiller introduces CBPP president Bob Greenstein at the City Club Don’t cap our care: The American Health Care Act strips away at Medicaid and effectively ends the expansion program – leaving states to cover the cost. With our […]
Shining a light: News from Policy Matters
Following the money: Our research shows a tax break for “pass-through” corporations costs Ohio $1 billion a year. Meanwhile, state policymakers keep warning us that revenues are below projections and the 2018-2019 budget will be tight. Think of all the health care, transit, education and drug treatment $1 billion a year could fund… Exposing the […]
No rest: News from Policy Matters
[image:1] Healthy opposition: The bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act is especially harmful to women and mothers. In honor of Mother’s Day, our Wendy Patton joined allies Innovation Ohio, Progress Ohio, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women to explain how. Policy Matters development manager Cynthia Connolly calls […]