Saturday Stats
Posted July 20, 2024 in eNews
42%: Share of Americans living in a state with a minimum wage of $15 or more. Ohioans are not among them—at least not yet. Although the campaign to let Ohioans vote on the minimum wage came up short this election cycle, Ohioans still deserve a fair return on their work, as explained by Michael Shields in our recent press release. As he points out, employers now pay minimum wage workers in Ohio 28% less than they did half a century ago, accounting for inflation. But some low-paid workers could still get a fairer share of the profits they help produce: We’re keeping an eye on legislation that would raise wages for certain Ohio workers.
$740M: Projected cost of this year’s expanded sales tax holiday in Ohio. That huge increase — from $20 million last fiscal year — is because the 2024 waiver lasts for 10 days instead of three, and applies to most goods valued under $500, rather than just school supplies. In a recent op-ed, Bailey Williams explains why sales tax holidays are ineffective, poorly targeted, and expensive, and why our proposal for a refundable sales tax credit is a better option that helps people who need it without gouging our budget. Similar policies are already working in at least seven states.
4.4%: Ohio’s unemployment rate in June, according to this month’s JobWatch, from Molly Bryden. That’s up 0.2 points from May. Employment data fans know that increasing unemployment can in fact signal a positive economic trend: more people entering the workforce. That’s because the unemployment rate (and the term “workforce”) include people without a job who are actively looking for work. Last month, 21,000 Ohioans entered the job market.
1 in 6: Share of children in Ohio who are currently living in a food insecure household. Students who have unreliable food access are more likely to experience developmental delays, stress, and chronic illnesses, all of which impact their ability to regularly attend and succeed in school. In an interview with Spectrum News on post-pandemic learning loss, Tanisha Pruitt, PhD, connects the dots between economic status and academic outcomes.
3: Number of tiers in the revised rating system for Ohio childcare providers. That’s two fewer than the Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) system used to have. It might seem like semantics, but the change will have serious consequences for Ohio’s children, especially those whose families qualify for publicly funded childcare. Kathryn Poe joined Cincinnati Edition to explain why. We testified on the changes to SUTQ and on funding cuts for child care when these changes were first announced. If you’re a childcare provider who wants to get involved on issues that impact child care and other parts of Ohio’s care economy, check out the CEO Project, part of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative.
Watchlist
Click here for our running list of legislation to watch, with brief analysis and relevant links. With the legislature out of session, the bills' statuses have not changed, but you can still call or email your state legislators and tell them to support, oppose, or amend these bills.
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