Trump budget slashes food aid, would cost Ohio billions
President Donald Trump’s budget includes a 25 percent cut of $193 billion to food aid over the next 10 years. In Ohio, where more than 16 percent of households live with food insecurity, the pain will be felt by struggling families, in the state budget and throughout the economy, according to a new issue brief […]
Funding losses loom over Ohio’s transit agencies
Ohio’s transit system provided 115 million rides in 2013, making it one of the more frequently used systems in the nation. But when it comes to state spending on public transit, Ohio is at the bottom of the barrel— 44 states spend more on a per-person basis. Not only does Ohio underinvest in transit, state […]
For-profit career colleges are risky business for Ohio
Last year Ohio spent more than $7.3 million on financial aid for students at for-profit schools. Now new data show their students often do not earn enough to support themselves, let alone repay student loans. For profit career colleges often target veterans, low-income workers, laid-off workers and others desperate to find a good job. A […]
Tele-press conference: AHCA threatens Ohio’s health care industry
Who: Wendy Patton, Senior Project Manager, Policy Matters Ohio Andy Albrecht, CEO, The Counseling Center, Portsmouth, Ohio Mike Uhl, President, Atrium Medical Center, Middletown Dr. Nate Stehouwer, University Hospital Cleveland Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University What: Policy Matters Ohio is releasing a new report that shows threats to Ohio’s growing health care industry from the […]
AHCA threatens Ohio’s growing health care sector
Across the state, Ohio’s health care sector has been steadily adding jobs since 2008, even in places where overall employment has been dropping. The American Health Care Act (AHCA), passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month, threatens this increasingly important part of Ohio’s economy. In a tele-press conference today, Policy Matters Ohio […]
Business-income tax break is costing Ohio $1 billion a year
A tax break on business income first enacted in 2013 is now costing Ohio about $1 billion a year, Policy Matters Ohio reported today, far more than previous public estimates. Ohio Department of Taxation estimates provided to Policy Matters show that the tax break was worth $943 million in tax year 2015, based on actual […]
Blue collar jobs report: Shifting sectors, falling earnings
During the 2016 election, President Donald Trump promised to bring back blue-collar jobs. A new quarterly report from Policy Matters Ohio will monitor his progress. Blue collar industries historically produced relatively high-paying jobs mostly filled by white men without college degrees. States that voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012 and Trump in the 2016 […]
House health care bill is a setback for women’s health
By helping low-income people purchase insurance and those living in or near poverty to access health care through Medicaid, The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been a remarkable demonstration of what public policy can do for public health and the well-being of Americans. The protections it offers to women prevent inequity in insurance coverage and […]
State lawmakers: get tough on for-profit colleges
Today representatives from the for-profit college industry will testify before the Ohio Senate Finance Subcommittee on Higher Education. Forthcoming research from Policy Matters Ohio raises serious questions about whether state aid should continue to support this sector. Career college programs are typically short-term and credential-based. They are offered at for-profit schools as well as public […]
Federal budget cuts could cost Ohio billions
President Donald Trump promised to put “America First,” but his federal budget plan leaves many behind. The pain will be felt deeply in the Buckeye State, according to a new report from Policy Matters Ohio. Federal government funding accounts for more than one-third of Ohio’s total operating budget – that’s over $25 billion a year. […]
Despite improvements House budget shortchanges transit
Despite some course corrections in the House budget, state policy makers are a long way from properly funding Ohio’s public transit system and shoring it up for an impending revenue loss in 2019. Ohioans for Transportation Equity – a coalition of groups representing people with disabilities, agencies on aging, environmental groups and other public transit […]
Mahoning Valley needs more affordable, quality preschool and childcare
Quality preschool and childcare is expensive. In Mahoning Valley, cash strapped centers struggle to deliver good programs, while parents struggle to afford them. To bridge the gap, the Valley needs deeper state investments, according to a report released today by Policy Matters Ohio and the Eastern Ohio Education Partnership. The report examines early childhood programs […]