January 2006 News from Policy Matters Ohio
Posted January 20, 2006 in eNews
A Proposal to Protect Jobless Older Ohioans – Ohio now is the only one of the 50 states that reduces unemployment benefits by 100 percent of Social Security payments received by jobless workers. Thus, many older workers find when they lose their jobs that their unemployment insurance is reduced or cut to zero. However, the issue is getting new attention in Columbus. Policy Matters Ohio explains the Social Security “offset” issue in a Q&A adapted from the National Employment Law Project. Read the Q&A here.
STRAPPED – Why America’s 20- and 30-Somethings Can’t Get Ahead –
Join author Tammy Draut at two Policy Matters sponsored events exploring the economic challenges facing young adults. Her book examines the obstacle course facing young adults as they try to get education, build careers, buy homes and start families, often using Visa and MasterCard as the new safety net. See Draut:
At 4 p.m. Thursday February 9, at the Cleveland State University Levin College Atrium (1717 Euclid, Cleveland)
At 7 p.m. Friday February 10, at Mac’s Backs Paperbacks (1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights)
Getting Credit (for free) – An innovative program, funded by Cuyahoga County, will ensure that more greater Clevelanders claim the tax credits they’ve earned, with free help (and without pricey fees). Workers without kids who earned less than $13,750, or workers with kids whose families earned less than $37,263 should check if they qualify for an earned income tax credit (EITC) – it could mean thousands of dollars. Click here to learn more and to find a free tax center near you.
Candidate briefings – How have tax changes affected who pays in Ohio? Do economic development incentives help poor communities? Who would benefit from a hike in the minimum wage? How could smarter energy policy boost job growth in Ohio? If you have filed to run for state office in Ohio and want to understand these issues better, join one of our candidate briefings. We’re still setting up dates for events in larger Ohio cities, contact Pam Rosado (prosado@policymattersohio.org) now to learn more.
Support Policy Matters – Since our founding in January of 2000, Policy Matters has released more than 100 reports, tracked more than 1000 press hits, given hundreds of public presentations, and changed the Ohio policy debate. If you care about work, wages, sprawl, taxes, inequality and the economy, please give generously to support this important work. Details here.
Don’t miss: “Pulling Apart” – Has the income growth for middle- and low-income Ohio families grown as much as that of wealthy families? Find out later this month when Policy Matters Ohio releases Pulling Apart, an analysis of income changes since the early 80s recession.
That’s all!
The Policy Matters Ohio Team