Prison sale’s fuzzy math
Editorial Gov. John Kasich believes the private sector does many things better than state government. That’s why he privatized the state’s economic-development efforts, and proposes leasing the Ohio Turnpike, privatizing management of liquor operations and the lottery, and selling off or privatizing some prisons. So far, the governor’s faith has reaped few rewards. Now, a […]
Ohio to increase minimum wage on New Year’s Day
Ohio’s minimum wage will increase 30 cents to $7.70 an hour, raising wages for 347,000 low-wage workers in the state. Ohio’s minimum wage increase means an extra $624 per year in wages for a full-time minimum wage worker. For immediate release Contact: Amy Hanauer, Policy Matters Ohio: 216.375.9274 Lynsey Kryzwick, National Employment Law Project: […]
Tax dollars hidden in shale: Policy Matters says extra money would help budget
By Spencer Hunt Ohio could collect an additional $528 million over the next four years if it increased taxes on oil and natural-gas production to levels that Michigan and West Virginia charge energy companies, according to a new report. The money could help offset state budget cuts made to local governments and schools and ease […]
Jobs gap
Editorial On Friday, John Boehner applauded the decline in Ohio’s unemployment rate last month, from 9 percent in October to 8.5 percent. The U.S. House speaker attributed the steepest month-to-month drop in 28 years to “clear signs of progress being made in the Buckeye State under the leadership of Gov. [John] Kasich.” He argued that […]
Ohio should raise severance tax on shale gas
Revenue would help cover public costs, report finds For immediate release, Monday, December 19, 2011 Contact Wendy Patton at 614.221.4505 If Ohio levied a severance tax on oil and gas at rates similar to neighboring states, it could generate up to $538 million in new revenues between now and 2015. These funds would help with […]
Gov. John Kasich optimistic as Ohio unemployment rate drops
by Reginald Fields COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s unemployment rate in November posted its largest month-to-month drop in 28 years, a sign that the state’s efforts at job creation are working, said Gov. John Kasich. The November rate was 8.5 percent, down from 9 percent in October. The unemployment rate was 9.6 percent a year ago. […]
Dramatic drop in labor force, minimal job growth undercut good news about unemployment rate
Ohio just posted the largest unemployment rate drop in decades, falling from 9 percent to 8.5 percent. Data released today by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) from its survey of employers for November 2011 suggests that falling labor force numbers are responsible for the decline in the unemployment rate, not job […]
Transit’s Not Bleeding the Taxpayer Dry
DC.StreetsBlog.org We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Roads don’t pay for themselves. But maybe they should. “Taxpayers cover costs that should be borne by road users,” asserts the State Smart Transportation Initiative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Road subsidies push up tax rates, squeeze government services, and skew the market for transportation.” […]
Amy Hanauer debates “right-to-work” advocate
In this video clip, Amy Hanauer, executive director of Policy Matters Ohio, discusses with Richard Vedder of Ohio University the impact of making Ohio a so-called “right-to-work” state. Among other highlights, Amy cites data showing that states with anti-union laws in place are not doing better economically. This segment starts at minute 9:28 of this […]
Seven Ohio free tax coalitions receive $396,000
For thousands of low- and moderate-income Ohioans, free tax preparation assistance is increasingly available this tax season. Seven Ohio coalitions, with dozens of free tax sites, received grants from the Internal Revenue Service to participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The VITA program provides free tax preparation for low-income and underserved families […]
A black eye in the Buckeye: The unions flex their muscles in Ohio
The Economist Nov 12th 2011 | COLUMBUS, OHIO | from the print edition IN TOUGH economic times it might well seem reasonable to suggest that public-sector workers need to contribute a bit more, or to admit that their unions have extracted some unreasonably generous benefits. Even Democrats such as Rahm Emanuel, the mayor of Chicago, […]
Hanauer leads organization in fight for good jobs and strong communities
Alumni Profiles from the Robert M. LaFollette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison Amy Hanauer didn’t like that the economic expansion in the 1990s had left families in Ohio behind. “After what many economists characterized as the longest, strongest economic expansion in recorded history, I saw enormous evidence that many Ohio families were not […]