Join us in the fight: News from Policy Matters
Posted April 22, 2017 in eNews
Join us in the fight: News from Policy Matters
We’re hiring! Would you like to help make Ohio a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive state? Would you like to work with a great group of people who also want to make Ohio a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive state? If you answered yes to these questions, consider applying to work at Policy Matters Ohio! We’re looking for a research analyst in our Columbus office. Maybe it could be you…
Tax time: At Policy Matters, we think about taxes a lot. We tend to focus on two things: the important public programs like education and infrastructure taxes pay for; and the upside-down state of Ohio’s tax system that gives the wealthy big breaks at the expense of the poor and middle class. We put together a list of 10 Tax reforms for a better Ohio that includes ideas about rolling back income tax cuts for the wealthiest, closing unnecessary tax loopholes and protecting the tax base for public transit agencies and county governments.
Protecting your pocketbook: In Washington D.C., Ohioan and Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Richard Cordray has been feeling the heat from Congressional Republicans. Cordray’s opponents don’t like that he’s sticking up for consumers and not the big banks. Policy Liaison Kalitha Williams joined Ohio PIRG and State Rep. Kristin Boggs for a press conference where they called on Rob Portman to support Cordray’s moves to protect pre-paid debit card users. You can contact him, too.
Budget Bites: In our latest Budget Bites, we applaud measures that would increase Ohio’s severance tax and reduce the state’s prison population.
Reduce Incarceration: New legislation and provisions in the state budget show that state lawmakers are starting to see the benefits of investing in rehabilitation instead of incarceration for some non-violent offenders.
Severance Tax: Ohio still hasn’t caught up with its peers when it comes to taxing the drilling industry -- costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars in the midst of a revenue crunch.
JobWatch: In our most recent JobsWatch, we see an ongoing back and forth with job growth continue. After making solid gains in February, Ohio has reversed course and lost more than 4,000 jobs in March.
Conversations in the community: Our Executive Director Amy Hanauer tackled two important topics in community forums this week. She moderated a panel of rebels at Cleveland State University's Women's Leadership Summit. They talked about why they march in 2017. As part of programming for “A Race Anthology: Dispatches and Artifacts from a Segregated City,” Amy moderated a panel of teachers, students, thinkers, and activists. They had an honest and needed discussion on race and racism in Cleveland.
Our outreach coordinator Daniel Ortiz spoke with an energized class of community leaders at at Neighborhood Leadership Institute of Greater Cleveland this past week on the importance of policy and advocacy. The presentation to the class included a substantive back and forth with Cleveland City Council member Terrell Pruitt.