Greater Cleveland Food Bank leads the way by raising wages
Across Ohio, a large network of nonprofit organizations works to fight hunger, provide child care, treat illness and deliver vital services that Ohioans need. Their work stabilizes families and reduces the worst effects of poverty. Yet many of those same organizations rely on a low-paid staff themselves struggling with financial hardship. To make its staffing […]
State funding for antipoverty programs falls as need grows
In 2017, 14.9 percent of the state’s residents lived in poverty – up from 13.3 percent in 2006. Despite this high poverty, a new report from Policy Matters Ohio shows that state policymakers have allowed support for some of the most crucial antipoverty programs to atrophy. Human services are funded by a partnership between state […]
Ohio tax structure contributes to racial inequity
New research underlines need to overhaul state tax code Ohio’s upside-down tax system takes an especially heavy toll on black and Latino residents. That’s the finding of new research from the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy (ITEP), a national nonprofit research group with a sophisticated model of the tax system, that was released today […]
Ohio take note: New Medicaid requirements strip health care from 17,000 in Arkansas
A proposal submitted by Governor Kasich for federal approval would allow Ohio to take Medicaid coverage from people who can’t get 80 hours of work a month. A new report by the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that similar policy has stripped nearly 17,000 Arkansas residents of health care since June. […]
Ohio minimum wage to rise 25 cents, to $8.55
Next month, many of Ohio’s lowest-earning workers will get a pay boost when the minimum wage rises 25 cents, from $8.30 to $8.55. This increase ensures the minimum wage keeps pace with rising consumer prices, something Ohio citizens provided for when they voted to increase the minimum wage and keep it indexed to inflation in […]
Assessing the lame duck damage: Bad bills progress, some disasters avoided
With Ohio’s General Assembly returning to Columbus next week, many Ohioans face significant threats to their well-being. That includes the possibility that the legislature could override Governor Kasich’s veto of legislation freezing enrollment in Medicaid expansion, which could cause hundreds of thousands of Ohioans to lose health insurance As the lame-duck session heads into its […]
Legal restrictions on formerly incarcerated Ohioans close pathways to 1.3 million jobs
An estimated 1.3 million Ohio jobs are either completely or partially off limits to Ohioans with previous criminal convictions. That is one in four of the state’s jobs, according to a new report from Policy Matters Ohio, in collaboration with the Ohio Justice and Policy Center and the Fund for Our Economic Future. Some 850 […]
Lame duck lottery: Slew of dangerous bills loom as General Assembly winds down
As Ohio’s General Assembly closes out its work for the two-year session, there is plenty to keep an eye on—and be concerned about. Beyond those issues that get a lot of public attention, others that affect the quality of life for Ohioans – as well as their democratic rights and their pocketbooks – can slip […]
Legislators should nix new tax credit
Policy Matters testifies that House Bill 469 lacks safeguards Policy Matters Ohio today urged Ohio legislators to defer action on House Bill 469, which would create a new tax credit for insurance companies that invest in “transformational mixed use development projects” valued at $50 million or more. “The bill has numerous defects. It lacks needed […]
Legislation puts workers, small business owners at risk
If Ohio House Bill 494 passes, corporate franchise owners would be shielded from responsibility when their franchisees violate labor laws, even if it’s at the corporate owner’s behest. Today, Policy Matters Ohio testified against the legislation in a hearing before the Senate Transportation, Commerce and Workforce Development Committee. “HB 494 and similar franchisor shield laws […]
GM announcement a cruel blow to Ohio families
General Motors Co.’s decision to idle five North American plants, including its Lordstown assembly plant, is a cruel blow to thousands of Ohio families. That’s especially so given that not many years ago, taxpayers kept GM in business, and the company earned $2.5 billion in the third quarter alone. Photo: General Motors The company announcement […]
Analysis: Ohio Medicaid expansion supports 54,000 jobs
As Ohio waits for permission from the federal government on new rules making it harder to access Medicaid expansion, new analysis shows that thanks to the health insurance program, the state will have almost 54,000 more full- and part-time jobs in 2019 than it would have if the state had not expanded Medicaid. Under the […]