Testimony of Zach Schiller on House Bill 1
Senate Finance and Financial Institutions Committee Hearing
May 21, 200

Nearly four years ago, the General Assembly approved House Bill 66, including the biggest
overhaul of Ohio’s tax system in a generation. The tax changes, including the 21 percent cut in the income tax and the elimination of two major businesses taxes in favor of a new tax on gross receipts, were aimed at generating jobs and improving Ohio’s economy.

Full Testimony

Policy Matters Ohio testified against S.C.R. 15 in the Ohio Senate, which opposes Cap & Trade and federal Renewable Standards. Read the full testimony here.

Climate legislation moves on Capital Hill and Ohio is in the forefront of negotiations, promoting opportunity (green jobs) and protecting assets (industrial retention).

To promote: Thousands of green jobs already exist in Ohio and thousands can grow from green energy federal stimulus funds and from provisions of federal climate legislation like the federal Renewable Portfolio Standard proposed Waxman-Markey climate bill.

To protect: Existing industrial jobs and the household budgets of low and moderate income families. Energy efficiency is at the heart of both, and retooling for new energy markets is critical for keeping good jobs in Ohio. Policy Matters Ohio is working on both sides of the issue. Memos on both issues posted here:

ACES Investment (Powerpoint)

Climate Legislation and Jobs: An overview of issues and options (Powerpoint)

The Impact of IMPACT: Creating Jobs in Ohio

Mitigating Consumer Costs of Climate Legislation

Briefing Paper: Talking points on Green Jobs

Greenhouse Gas 101 (Powerpoint)

Apollo GreenMAP

Apollo Alliance letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources regarding energy legislation 

Read about and see pictures of our May 18, 2009 Conference on Labor in the New Energy Economy.  Click here.

The Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which provides income support and retraining to workers who lose their jobs due to rising imports or shifts in production overseas, is undergoing a major expansion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Effective May 18, 2009, workers in service industries are now covered for the first time, as are more manufacturing workers affected by production shifts abroad, while benefits will increase.

This May 2009 report finds that the U.S. Department of Labor certified 20,912 Ohio job losses because of trade between January 2007 and March 27, 2009. However, even apart from the majority of the workforce that has not been covered up till now, many Ohio workers dislocated by trade do not participate in the TAA program today. Fewer than 2,000 received TAA training in the year ended last September. The underuse of the program, along with the major expansion of it, provide a real opportunity for improvements in outreach efforts that will allow more trade-affected workers in Ohio to benefit. The report makes recommendations for increasing participation.

Press Release

Executive Summary

Full Report

Teaching has long been viewed as a hard-to-define skill, something that takes place behind closed doors with a gifted teacher inspiring her students to achieve beyond expectations. Research has shown, however, that students are better served when educators work together, sharing successful practices and helping each other improve.

This 2009 study by Policy Matters Ohio found widespread support for the kinds of collaboration and professional development that bring teachers together to focus on improving student achievement. Policy Matters interviewed 37 teachers and administrators in 18 districts that are part of the Ohio Improvement Process, a state initiative begun in the 2007-08 school year to create a unified approach to school improvement.

A strong majority of respondents from a pilot cohort of districts gave the Ohio Improvement Process high marks, saying it helped them focus efforts and brought administrators, teachers and others to the table to prioritize efforts. Educators in the state’s five largest urban districts, on the other hand, expressed more negative views, saying it often duplicated existing district-level efforts. Respondents from all districts said the process was time consuming and somewhat burdensome, even when it helped planning efforts significantly.

This study counters a common belief that school reform is best undertaken by a strong or heroic individual with a high level of power and autonomy. As policymakers plan new approaches to school improvement, they should ensure that teachers fully participate in school improvement efforts, and that adequate support is given to foster collaboration.

Press Release

Executive Summary

Full Report

Policy Matters Ohio 
All materials taken from Dr. Hummel’s Climate Policy Design website

Greenhouse Gas 101 Powerpoint

Last year, as the Mississippi swamped the heartland (again) and Hurricane Ike ravaged Central Ohio, insurance companies ramped up investment in climate modeling and the Senate debated comprehensive climate legislation.  The insurance industry and the Congress have both been increasingly worried about climate change: in fact, the Senate has held 40 days of hearings with more than 300 witnesses during the past two Congresses. Change is upon us, and has been for some time. …

Full Report

Green-collar jobs are good paying, career track jobs that contribute significantly to
preserving or enhancing environmental quality. Like traditional blue-collar jobs, green
collar jobs range from low-skill, entry level positions to high-skill, higher-paid jobs, and
include opportunities for advancement in both skills and wages. Green-collar jobs focus
on transforming the natural and built environment—retrofitting buildings, installing solar
panels, constructing transit lines, etc. …

Full Briefing Paper