Interest in Prepaid cards growing Consumers like convenience; advocates warn of hidden costs
Cornelius Frolik About 1.3 million households in Ohio use few or no traditional banking services, and members of this group are increasingly relying on prepaid debit cards to meet their financial needs, according to studies. Prepaid cards allow consumers to pay bills online, engage in e-commerce, limit their spending and protect against theft of personal […]
VIDEO: Ohio seen as key swing state in US polls
Ohio seen as key swing state in US polls Our Executive Director Amy Hanauer on al Jazeera English about why Ohio is such an important state in U.S. presidential elections.
Southwest Ohio district’s cuts show schools’ woes
A snapshot of what’s happening in school districts around Ohio as state funding cuts and a weak economy take their toll: One by one, the parents of Lakota Schools came down the auditorium steps to stand before the microphone. Some were dressed in business attire; shirt-and-tie, sport coats, dresses. Others were casual, in jeans and […]
Voter ID’s $7 Million Ohio Price Tag: Building barriers to the ballot box isn’t cheap
Abby Rapoport The fight over voter identification laws generally gets debated over two major questions. 1) How important is it to stop in-person fraudulent voting (despite virtually no evidence that this is a problem)? And 2) How important is it to protect access to the ballot, particularly for those who have faced discrimination in the […]
Study finds costs for photo voter ID bill
For immediate release Contact Amy Hanauer, 216.361.9801 Download press release See full report Ohio proposal would cost $5 – $7 million annually, suppress votes An Ohio bill requiring voters to present photo identification would cost up to $7 million a year while suppressing votes, despite little evidence of voter impersonation, according to a new study […]
Covering Ohio’s Changing Economy
Can reporters connect the candidates’ rhetoric to on-the-ground reality? Writing for the Columbia Journalism review, former Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter T.C. Brown took at look at media coverage of Ohio’s economy in an election year. “… And the coverage of the visits was generally solid, led by Steve Koff’s good advance look in The Plain […]
Covering Ohio’s Changing Economy
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney traipsed their way through the Cleveland area last week, the start of what’s sure to be many Ohio visits as the general election unfolds. And with voters describing the economy and jobs as “very important” issues, it’s no surprise that the two candidates emphasized their parties’ competing visions of the […]
More workers suing employers over wage issues: Most cases involve unpaid overtime, misclassification
Cornelius Frolik A record number of workers are suing their employers for allegedly not paying proper wages, and the spike in litigation has been commended by labor-advocacy groups and criticized by business groups. Wage and hour complaints filed in U.S. federal courts surged to 7,006 in fiscal year 2011 from 6,081 the previous year, according […]
Better bank tax
Editorial Gov. John Kasich’s budget package includes a proposal for a new tax on Ohio financial institutions. It would replace current state levies on banks, savings institutions, securities and mortgage brokers, and payday lenders. State officials say the plan would eliminate loopholes that enable some banks to avoid paying tens of millions of dollars in […]
Policy Matters Ohio founder, Amy Hanauer, lets staff own its work
“If you want different outcomes for lower income families or different environmental outcomes, you need to get at it from a policy perspective. I don’t think that charity alone is going to get you to the relief of poverty or low-paying jobs that don’t enable people or families to thrive. It’s not going to create […]
Ohio leads the nation in job losses in March even though unemployment rate fell
Olivera Perkins Ohio led the nation in job losses in March, even as the state’s unemployment rate inched downward. Fewer jobs, but more people working? Blame the contradiction on how data used in calculating the jobless rate are collected. George Zeller, an economic research analyst in Cleveland, cited “technical inconsistencies” that caused the apparently conflicting […]
Emerald Cities aims to bring green jobs, energy efficient buildings to Cuyahoga County
Lee Chilcote A new initiative being pioneered by Cuyahoga County,Policy Matters Ohio and a bevy of partners aims to create more energy-efficient municipal buildings and catalyze the creation of green, living wage jobs. Now that advocacy within the green jobs movement has shifted away from the state and federal level — where activity is slow or nonexistent […]