Saturday Stats
Posted November 22, 2024 in eNews
$16.5B: Amount of funding announced for Ohio projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) since 2021. This includes funding for projects that would lower energy costs for farmers, clean up brownfield sites and retrain workers in coal communities, and build out green infrastructure in urban neighborhoods. With the incoming administration, that funding — and the future of projects like these — is uncertain. In a new report, Molly Bryden explains how communities have used (and as of now can continue using) BIL and IRA funds to create family-sustaining jobs while delivering cleaner air and a healthier environment.
2: Number of Cleveland ZIP codes in which a Care Response program is being piloted. The pilot is a big step in a long journey toward a better approach to crisis response in Cuyahoga County. As with any long-term project, it’s good to learn from people who have gone the distance themselves. That’s why Piet van Lier hosted a webinar with leaders of care response programs in Albuquerque, NM and Durham, NC, where similar programs are in full swing. You can watch the full discussion on our YouTube channel. (And ICYMI, check out our September webinar about community response in cities around Ohio.)
12K: Number of jobs added nationwide in October, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
6,400: Number of jobs Ohio added that same month. In other words, more than half of U.S. job growth last month happened in Ohio. That surprising nugget is part of this month’s JobWatch, from Molly Bryden.
6-1: Size of the Republican majority on Ohio’s Supreme Court starting on January 2, 2025. Regardless of party, justices will be responsible for upholding the laws Ohio voters have passed. They will have ample opportunity to live up to that responsibility in the coming term, especially with decisions related to preemption and local control, abortion, and redistricting. In a recent op-ed, Bailey Williams gives an overview of the issues in question.
Watchlist
HB 106: This bill would require employers to provide pay stubs (earnings and deductions statements) to all employees. Pay stubs help prevent wage theft by allowing workers to check whether they’re being paid correctly for all the hours they’ve worked and that any deductions are correct. Ohio is one of only seven states that don't require employers to provide pay stubs. This is good legislation and long overdue. We support it. For more details, see our factsheet.
Action Items
Contact your legislators and tell them to add "failure-to-appear" and insurance-related suspensions to the types that are eliminated in SB 37, and pass it during Lame Duck. (For details, see this note on our legislative Watchlist.)
Listen to What's Good with New Americans, the latest episode of What's Good Ohio?! focused on coming together to support our migrant communities and neighbors.