Concentrated poverty, racism keep Ohio sick
In 2016, 10 percent of Ohio neighborhoods were in areas of concentrated poverty — that’s a twofold increase over 2000, according to new analysis from Policy Matters Ohio. Ohio is one of the nation’s sickest states, and a growing body of research shows that living in segregated, impoverished areas is bad for peoples’ health. Policy […]
Tax-break review committee should defer action
Exemptions worth $5.5 billion a year should not be rubber-stamped More than four months after its first report was due under state law, the Ohio General Assembly’s Tax Expenditure Review Committee (TERC) finally is scheduled to meet Tuesday and vote on whether to extend, modify, repeal or schedule for further review 15 sales-tax breaks worth […]
Lift Ohio kids out of poverty with reformed state EITC
Despite low unemployment, poverty is high in Ohio, especially for children. Cleveland has the highest childhood poverty rate of any large city in the nation. Cincinnati has the third highest. Thirty-five percent of Ohio’s poorest workers could get an average tax cut of $473 and more than $427.5 million could go back to families and […]
Policy Matters statement on the 2018 elections
Policy Matters has a vision for an economy that works for all Ohioans in our small towns, our suburbs and our big cities. With a new slate of elected leaders in Ohio, we will work across party lines to protect Ohio’s people, promote a fair economy, and invest in the future. Today, Attorney General Mike […]
Adult protective services need boost from state
Ohio’s rural areas, towns and cities are strengthened when aging Ohioans can stay connected to their communities. Ohio’s laws have changed to increase the number of people required to report elder abuse, and have added the growing problem of financial exploitation to the definition of elder abuse in Ohio. In order to meet the minimum […]
Affluent Ohioans get tax credits meant for those who aren’t
Business income deduction allows them to get means-tested tax breaks probably worth millions Tens of thousands of upper-income Ohioans are qualifying for tax credits that seemingly are limited to those who have much lower incomes. It’s all legal – and it’s probably costing the state millions of dollars a year. Policy Matters Ohio outlined in […]
Oklahoma shows Issue 1’s promise for Ohio
After sentencing reform, felony filings dropped, crime didn’t rise In 2016, Oklahomans voted to reclassify low-level drug possession and property crime from felonies to misdemeanors and direct the savings toward rehabilitative services. Since the law took effect, felony cases have dropped dramatically, setting the state on a path to lower incarceration rates without an increase […]
As Ohio trails nation in college attainment, new report lays out plan for equitable, free college
Ohio ranks below average in share of adults with at least an associate degree and is among the least affordable states for college. Policy Matters Ohio today released a new plan for equitable, free college to address these related problems. The state aims for 65 percent of adults to hold at least an associate degree […]
Keep tabs on Ohio’s changing economy
New Policy Matters data page displays key economic stats at a glance Policy Matters Ohio has launched a new workforce data page, featuring up-to-date and downloadable data on Ohio jobs, unemployment, wages and other workforce-related measures. The interactive charts will help reporters, advocates, policymakers, and concerned Ohioans who want to go beyond the unemployment rate […]
Issue 1 will help thousands of Ohioans re-enter workforce
Each year, barriers that keep people with criminal convictions from getting certain jobs contribute to $3.4 billion in foregone wages, according to new analysis from Policy Matters Ohio. From getting a fishing license to running Bingo games, Ohio has more than 1,000 laws that limit what people previously convicted of a crime can do: some […]
Cuts to higher education shortchange Ohioans of color
Ohio’s piddling public investment in higher education over the last decade has made going to college more expensive, leaving many students with little choice but to take on more debt or give up on their dreams. The problem is especially serious for Black, Latinx, and low-income students. Ohio is one of 45 states that spent […]
Tax abatements cost Ohio schools at least $125 million
New standard requires districts to report the impact for the first time Property tax abatements caused 180 school districts across Ohio to forgo $125.6 million in revenue, according to district financial reports issued for the 2017 fiscal year. For the first time, under a new national accounting standard, school districts in Ohio and across the […]