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Primaries and policy:
February news from Policy Matters

February, 2008

Just in time for tonight's Democratic debate, today's Plain Dealer ran our op-ed on how to win Ohio. You also might have missed recent references to our work on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, or in the Akron Beacon Journal, the Columbus Dispatch, or 400 or so other places over the past year.

Bridging Gaps - Public work supports help families bridge the gap between what they earn from work and what they need to make ends meet. More than 2.8 million Ohioans don't earn enough at work to get by, meaning they go without necessities like health insurance or quality child care. While programs like Medicaid and child care help hundreds of thousands of workers get their families to a basic budget, more than 2 million workers are left without basics because they aren't eligible, the programs are underfunded or tough to access, or the co-pays are too high. Our brief describes how to close those gaps.

Getting Training on Track -  Training for adult workers can help firms fill positions, keep family heads employed and productive, and stabilize the economy. But the state's most important employment and training program for unemployed workers, the federally-funded Workforce Investment Act dislocated worker program, does not serve as many as it could and does not use all of the funding it receives. A new study suggests reforms to connect workers to good jobs and tap into the skills that experienced work veterans can bring to a new workplace.

Advancing Advanced Energy - Policy Matters testified to the Public Utilities Committee, urging legislators to expand Ohio's Advanced Energy Fund, and cautioning that creating a new energy fund based on a questionable income tax increment financing scheme is not the best means to a good end. A previous report points to a better way to fuel clean energy.

Tax Free -  More working families in Cuyahoga County and Ohio received free tax preparation at volunteer income tax assistance sites in 2006 than in any previous year, according to a new report from Policy Matters Ohio. The Cuyahoga Earned Income Tax Coalition filed more than 5,600 tax returns, a 60 percent increase over previous years. Other counties in Ohio also dramatically increased their free tax preparation services to working families. It's not too late to get your taxes done for free. Call 2-1-1 or visit www.refundohio.org to find out where to go.

Job Watch - Fewer jobs than a year ago, fewer jobs than an administration ago. But hey, who's counting? We are, see here.

Budget Blues - Short-sighted tax cuts for the wealthiest and businesses have left Ohio with a big hole in our state budget. We'll testify about it this week - check back for the link.


-The Policy Matters team: Amy, Zach, Jon, Pam, David, Kahlil, Amanda and Piet, and our interns, April, Michael and Stephen


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Policy Matters Ohio is a non-profit policy research organization founded in January 2000 to broaden the debate about economic policy in Ohio. Our mission is to conduct high-quality research promoting decisions which benefit our whole community. Given the challenges of a rapidly-changing economic system, rising wage inequality, new issues in education and changes in the way work is organized, it is imperative that Ohio workers have a voice in the economic debate.

 

Policy Matters provides real-world analysis focused on issues that matter to low- and middle-income workers in Ohio. Our findings are accessible to the public, the media, and policy makers. We hope to strengthen democracy by providing Ohio's citizens with the essential tools to participate in the public discussion on the economy. We believe this will result in economic policies that better reflect the public interest.