Strengthen Ohio by including undocumented immigrants
A path to citizenship would increase tax revenue by $25 million If all undocumented immigrants in Ohio had a pathway to citizenship, the amount they collectively pay in taxes would increase by 31%, from $83.2 million to $108.7 million, according to the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). A new report from the Center […]
Maximize food aid to feed more Ohioans
Governor DeWine has an opportunity to expand the economic security of children, adults, and families by maximizing federal food and nutrition assistance for communities across the state. Ohioans in 41 counties and eight cities with high unemployment would get needed help affording food if the DeWine administration requests a waiver on time limits for federal […]
Ohio taxes shift away from wealthy, again
Budget bills bring average tax increases for less affluent residents The main tax measures in Ohio’s new budget bills will bring tax increases on average for lower- and middle-income taxpayers, while those at the top of the income scale on average will see cuts. That’s the key conclusion of an analysis by the Institute on […]
Ohio foreclosures declining, still above average
Ohio’s 2018 foreclosure rate is 4.6 percent lower than in 2017, according to a new report by Policy Matters Ohio. The 33,527 foreclosures Ohio had in 2018 are a little more than one-third of the 89,053 the state experienced in 2009, when the housing crisis was in full swing. The report tracks foreclosures in all […]
Ohio lost 43% of newspaper journalists since 2012
Lawmakers should enact policies that support local news In six short years, Ohio’s newspaper journalists declined by 43%, according to Policy Matters Ohio. In 2012, Ohio had 2,870 newsroom staffers to monitor city council meetings, photograph high school games and design the front page. In 2018, there were 1,640 newspaper reporters, editors, photographers and designers. […]
Raise the Wage Act would help 1.8 million Ohioans
The Act would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 Today, for the first time in over a decade, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, index the wage to inflation, and to eliminate the sub-minimum wage paid to workers who earn […]
Budget: Tax cuts undermine important investments
Conference committee misses opportunity to slash an unproductive loophole Wendy Patton, Senior Project Director for Policy Matters Ohio released the following statement about the state budget approved by the conference committee Tuesday. “The budget passed by the conference committee resumes a failed strategy of tax cuts, reducing revenue by nearly $700 million over two years […]
Procter & Gamble: Get on the right side of history
Support raising the minimum wage and the Ohio Equal Pay Act Over the weekend, Cincinnati–based Procter & Gamble (P&G) announced that it has joined the equal pay movement moment generated by the U.S. Women’s Soccer team’s World Cup Championship with a full-page New York Times advertisement and a $529,000 donation to the players’ association. P&G […]
LLC loophole should be trimmed
General Assembly should reject proposal to omit that from the budget Six years after the original creation of a tax break for Ohio business owners, the data shows it has failed to bring more jobs, increase the number of new businesses or help Ohio’s economy. That’s why the Ohio General Assembly should ignore Governor DeWine’s […]
Workers’ comp budget could affect public health
Policymakers must weigh health impacts of proposed legislation The workers’ compensation budget passed by the Ohio House of Representatives includes policy changes that could impact public health, according to an analysis released today by Policy Matters Ohio. Provisions in the budget would increase coverage for first-responders and discourage employers from misclassifying employees as independent contractors. […]
Senate wants to kill rules, while requiring them
Budget bill cracks down on words like “shall” and “must” but orders rules anyway Policy Matters Ohio Research Director Zach Schiller issues the following statement about contradictory provisions in the Senate budget. “In a victory for ideology over common sense, the Ohio Senate approved a budget bill last week that calls for reducing regulatory rules, […]
Keep so-called “Healthy Ohio” out of state budget
Policy Matters Ohio Senior Project Director Wendy Patton issued a statement calling for the Conference Committee to keep the so-called “Healthy Ohio Plan” out the state budget. “The latest iteration of the so-called “Healthy Ohio Plan” (HOP) could prevent Ohioans from getting crucial medical care like oxygen, an ambulance ride, or addiction treatment — simply […]