Saturday Stats: The latest from Policy Matters
Posted May 15, 2021 in eNews
295,000: Although Gov. DeWine announced Ohio will soon stop accepting the federal government’s $300-per-month supplemental unemployment benefit, the state has 295,000 fewer jobs than before the pandemic started. The $300 supplement has been a lifeline for Ohioans, putting money in their pockets and supporting businesses even as many temporarily closed down or slowed operations. As Hannah Halbert explained, the best way for employers to attract new workers is to pay a good wage and offer decent benefits. Michael Shields made similar points on WCPN’s the Sound of Ideas, where he was joined by other workers and worker advocates, including Rosa, from the Northeast Ohio Worker Center.
2: Two more days to file your taxes! Due to COVID, tax day is pushed back to Monday, May 17 this year. At noon that day, check out our livestream Tax Day Reflection: How pulling together helps us all thrive. We will be broadcasting live on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Daniel Ortiz will moderate a panel that includes House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, Senator Vernon Sykes, Representative Mike Skindell, Rev. Derrick Holmes of the AMOS Project, and our own Wendy Patton.
3: That is how many more opportunities you have to join our livestream conversations on the American Rescue Plan. At 1:00 p.m. this Thursday, May 20, Amanda Woodrum will be joined by an all-star panel of experts for a conversation about how Ohio lawmakers can use ARP funds to make sure all people can live healthy lives no matter their race or how much money they have. Click here to watch the livestream on our website or get reminders to watch on Facebook or YouTube.
And in case you missed it, Piet van Lier moderated a great panel on the American Rescue Plan and public education with Wendy, Prentiss Haney of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and Darold Johnson of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. Watch it here.
2: Two exciting ReImagine Appalachia events are coming up on Friday, May 21. At 10:00 a.m., check out a press conference on Facebook Live, where labor leaders will discuss the importance of including rules that protect working people in federal infrastructure plans. Then at 1:00 p.m., join a webinar on Zoom to go over ReImagine Appalachia’s latest report (authored by Amanda): Maximizing Value: Community and Labor Requirements for a Federal Appalachian Climate Infrastructure Plan.
7: We’ve submitted seven testimonies in the last two weeks (at least that we can remember). Topics range from the Fair School Funding Plan to making sure all working people are paid for all the hours they put in. One theme remains consistent: Our lawmakers should use the 2022-23 state budget to care for all of us, and not hand out more giveaways to corporations and the wealthiest Ohioans.
3: We also released three more “Budget Bites,” on three different topics: higher education, child care and the state’s kinship care program. These pieces cover a lot of ground, but each shows a pathway to expanding opportunity for all Ohioans and improving families’ quality of life.
$541 million: That is how much money the city of Cleveland will receive from the American Rescue Plan Act. Our outreach director Daniel Ortiz has joined with community groups to encourage local leaders to give residents a voice in how these dollars are used through participatory budgeting. He co-hosted a house party with the Northeast Ohio Worker Center on how these funds can better support workers and will debrief this series of house parties in the coming week. To join the next participatory budgeting debrief on Thursday, May 20 at 5 p.m. or to join the next Northeast Ohio Worker Center meeting on Thursday, May 27 at noon, email Daniel.
100: Number of subscribers we want to add to our new YouTube channel, Policy Matters Now! It's a great place to watch all our livestreams as they are released, plus you can watch previously released streams whenever you want! If you follow us on Twitter and/or Facebook, you know we've been producing tons of livestreams and other video content lately. Policy Matters Now is where it all lives! Head over and subscribe today!
124,000: That’s how many children in Ohio are being cared for by relatives other than their parents. Kinship care is a critical program to ensure all Ohio families have basic security and stability. But Ohio lawmakers haven’t been willing to help kinship families with the support they need and deserve. Join Will Petrik on Thursday, May 20 from 1 to 2:30 pm to learn more about how the budget impacts kinship families and what you can do to take action. Register here.
1: The one and only Cynthia Connolly will speak at Cleveland Leadership Summit’s Way Forward lunch break on May 19 from 12:00 to 12:30 pm. As a member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians who serves on the executive board at the Lake Erie Native American Council, she will speak about her advocacy on behalf of the Indigenous community in Cleveland. Register here.