Inflation Reduction Act will make people and the planet healthier
Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Inflation Reduction Act, a bill that makes important reforms to the federal tax code, addresses rising costs and makes the largest-ever federal allocation to fight climate change. In response, Policy Matters Ohio Executive Director Hannah Halbert released the following statement: “Today’s news is the result of everyday […]
Policy Matters welcomes Bree Easterling as Public Safety Fellow
Bree Easterling has joined Policy Matters Ohio as the organization’s new public safety fellow. In their role, Easterling will be working with community members, advocates, elected officials and other key stakeholders to establish a “care response” model in Cleveland. Care response, or alternative response, is a “health first” approach to emergency response. Under this model, […]
Ohio bill would expand access to unemployment benefits
Senate Bill 355 would remedy UC system’s bias against low-paid workers A bill introduced last Thursday in the Ohio Senate would significantly reduce the amount an Ohioan must be paid in order to qualify for unemployment compensation (UC). The legislation would extend coverage to many low-paid Ohioans if they are laid off from work. Currently, […]
LLC loophole takes $1 billion per year from Ohio communities, rewards mostly wealthy residents
New analysis from Policy Matters Ohio shows that each year, the Business Income Deduction — known as the “LLC loophole” — costs Ohio communities an estimated $1 billion, without spurring job growth or improving Ohioans’ wellbeing. The analysis shows that the loophole is among Ohio’s most expensive tax breaks; it disproportionately rewards a small number […]
What will tax breaks for Intel cost Ohio?
Tax Credit Authority should find out before approving more aid When the General Assembly approved the capital budget bill last month, it OK’d multiple new tax breaks for Intel Corp. and its planned semiconductor plants outside Columbus with only a vague idea of what the cost would be. Before it considers the Intel project for […]
Policy Matters’ statement ahead of President Biden’s Cleveland visit
President Joe Biden will be in Cleveland tomorrow to deliver “remarks on his economic agenda and building the economy from the bottom up and the middle out.” Policy Matters Ohio Executive Director Hannah Halbert released the following statement ahead of his visit. “Swift federal action during the COVID recession helped families keep food on the […]
SCOTUS decision sets back efforts to stem climate change
Policy Matters Ohio Senior Researcher and Co-Director of the Reimagine Appalachia Coalition Amanda Woodrum released the following statement in reaction to the Supreme Court’s West Virginia v. EPA decision. “No matter where we live or what we look like, we all need clean air to breathe. For years, big energy corporations have used their wealth […]
Policy Matters Ohio responds to Roe reversal
Supreme Court ruling hurts all Ohioans Today, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected 50 years of precedent, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey — foundational decisions upholding the right to abortion nationwide. Policy Matters Ohio’s executive director, Hannah Halbert, issued this statement: No matter where you live — the city or the country, […]
Policy Matters welcomes Ali Smith as Worker Center Network Liaison
This month, Ali Smith joined Policy Matters Ohio as Worker Center Network Liaison, increasing the organization’s capacity to improve conditions for working Ohioans. Smith will support Ohio’s network of three worker centers, the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, the Central Ohio Worker Center, and the Northeast Ohio Worker Center. Worker centers are community-based organizations that support […]
Community and policy organizations, child care workers, educators, people with past convictions, launch the All In For Ohio Agenda, a proactive vision for Ohio
Today Ohioans of all walks of life joined together to launch the All In For Ohio Agenda, a bold, new platform for Ohio that promotes a progressive and multiracial democracy in our state. Find the All In For Ohio Agenda online or download the pdf. All in For Ohio is anchored by Policy Matters Ohio, […]
State aid to Intel lacks safeguards
Legislators should add measures to protect Ohioans Today, the Ohio House Finance Committee is expected to pass the state capital budget and send it on to the House, where it could be approved immediately. Policy Matters Ohio released the following statement today by Research Director Zach Schiller on the incentives proposed for Intel and its […]
Employers steal from 213,000 working Ohioans a year through minimum wage violations alone
New analysis from Policy Matters Ohio shows that each year, employers steal from about 213,000 Ohioans by paying them below the minimum wage: A victim who stays on the job the full year loses an average of $2,900, or a quarter of their total wages, adding up to hundreds of millions of dollars a year […]