As Ohio Struggles, Candidates Offer Ideas
College grads leave for more opportunities Cincinnati Enquirer When politicians talk of the strengths of Ohio’s economy, they talk about exports. Ohio made jet engines and auto parts are shipped to markets throughout the nation and the world.
Senate Slates Further Hearings on Predatory Lending Bills; Advocate ‘Optimistic’ on Legislative Action
Gongwer News Service A Senate panel heard another measure aimed at curbing “predatory lending” practices Tuesday and planned to field further testimony next week on the subject, boosting the hopes of housing advocates that the Legislature will take more steps to rein in unscrupulous lenders. Senate Finance & Financial Institutions Chairman John Carey (R-Wellston), who […]
National renewable energy investments could spark 22,000 new Ohio jobs
Ohio ranks fourth among states in potential jobs from solar, wind, and other investments Ohio ranks fourth among states in potential new component parts manufacturing positions and fifth among states in potential new investment if the U.S. were to make a large national commitment to renewable energy. These are among the findings of a new […]
Agency flouts open-records law in refusing to release information to researchers
Not in the Public InterestThe Columbus Dispatch How many working-class Ohio families rely on public aid, suchas Medicaid, energy assistance, food stamps and other programs? A state agency has interfered with a valid research effort to answer this question. Policy Matters Ohio asked for employer names and addresses of such welfare recipients, but was rebuffed […]
Renewable Energy Investment Offers Boon for Ohio Economy, Report Says
Gongwer News Service A major national investment in renewable energy technologies would bring about significant growth in the state’s manufacturing industry and overall business climate, according to a new report released by Policy Matters Ohio. The report, which reviews what would be needed to generate electricity for about 53 million homes, says Ohio would rank […]
Analysis Says Issue 1 Would Allow State Investment in Private Business
Gongwer News Service Issue 1 Analysis: Separately, an analysis from a non-partisan research group concluded Thursday the Third Frontier component of Issue 1 would overturn 150 years of constitutional prohibitions against state investment in private corporations. Policy Matters Ohio, a non-profit institute with offices in Cleveland and Columbus, did not take a position on the […]
Politicians Get to Vote on Their Own Raises…
Cleveland Free Times by Harriet Tramer Recently retired Cleveland public school teacher Michael Charney has a new lesson for young people: activism works. Charney wants to recruit young adults to circulating petitions to place a constitutional amendment raising the Ohio minimum wage to $6.85 on the November 2006 ballot. That’s $1.70 higher than the federal […]
The Third Frontier Revisited: Constitutional and Fiscal Implications of State Issue 1
State Issue 1 changes the constitution to permit the public sector to make investments in or to partner with private businesses for purposes that fall within the Third Frontier or site development programs. A new issue brief, The Third Frontier Revisited: Constitutional and Fiscal Implications of Issue 1 finds that the amendment would change the […]
State Denies Records Request for Welfare – Recipient Study
Columbus Dispatch Researchers trying to study whether employer cuts in health insurance and other job benefits have caused more lowwage workers to seek public assistance are getting no help from the state. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has denied a public-records request by Policy Matters Ohio for the names and addresses of […]
ODJFS Must Share Job Subsidy Data
The Dayton Daily News Ohio’s Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS) has been making every excuse imaginable to justify its refusal to identify employers that have large numbers of workers on the public-assistance rolls. The reasons should lead the public to wonder whether the department is purposefully hiding information or has just adopted the […]
Research Group Sees ‘Danger Sign’ for Public Records in State Agency’s Rejection of Employer Data
Gongwer News Service Researchers seeking data about businesses whose cuts in health insurance may force workers onto public assistance said Friday a state agency was taking “an extraordinarily broad view” of a court decision in withholding the information. Policy Matters Ohio said the Department of Job and Family Services cited a recent Ohio Supreme Court […]
Amy Hanauer Speaks on Renewable Energy
WCPN After living with widely fluctuating and generally skyrocketing energy prices for months, Americans are showing more interest these days in alternatives to fossil fuels. But for some, the desire to increase the country’s use of renewable energy like solar or wind power is nothing new. As part of Making Change; Building the Region’s Future, […]