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How can we improve Ohio’s commercial activity tax?
Last month, the Ohio House’s Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on House Bill 234, a bill that would repeal Ohio’s commercial activity tax. The commercial activity tax raises about $2 billion a year by taxing revenues of businesses in the state. Lawmakers worry, though, that the focus on gross receipts hurt businesses with […]
Ohio House legislation could make Ohio’s bad water problems worse
For the past few years, my firm Scioto Analysis has published a series of studies of Ohio’s Genuine Progress Indicator, a “GDP+” measure that monetizes the impact of environmental damage and external social benefits and costs of nonmarket activity in the state. One of the biggest takeaways we’ve found year after year from doing this […]
How can Ohio fight climate change today?
The Union for Concerned Scientists has an incredible interactive map that provides county-by-county projections for how temperatures will change in the United States over the 21st century. Historically, most of Ohio experiences 11-25 days when the heat index is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the threshold at which sun stroke, heat cramps, and heat […]
What can Ohio do about childhood lead exposure?
On Monday, a group of medical researchers published an original investigation in JAMA Pediatrics examining the individual and community-level blood lead levels in children across the United States. As reported in the Ohio Capital Journal, this study found Ohio’s rate of blood lead elevation in children well over double the national average and higher than […]
What would the public health and safety impacts of cannabis legalization be in Ohio?
Last Monday, a panel of state officials approved ballot language for recreational cannabis legalization in the state of Ohio, clearing the way for backers to begin collecting signatures for the initiative. According to reports, the ballot language for this initiative is similar to a bill introduced by state Reps. Casey Weinstein and Terrence Upchurch to […]
Do people have the “right” to contract and spread a deadly disease?
From the beginning of the spread of COVID-19, we knew a vaccine would be the most effective tool we would have to stymie its spread, reduce infections, and save lives. While so many things were new about COVID-19, we knew, like with any infectious disease, that vaccine technology would be our best bet for prevention […]
How much does Ohio lose when it turns down federal funds?
A story that has been roiling over the past weeks is Gov. Mike DeWine’s decision to cancel the federal pandemic unemployment program. This decision came months before the federal expiration date on Sept. 6. News coverage of the decision focuses on $300 checks the governor’s decision is making unavailable to unemployed Ohioans. $300 does not […]
New research: Broadband policy is jobs policy
It’s no secret that Ohio’s Appalachian counties have the most sluggish labor markets of the counties across the state. According to last month’s Ranking of Ohio County Unemployment Rates from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, eight of the ten highest-unemployment counties this month are in Appalachian Ohio. Meanwhile, Appalachian Ohio also suffers […]
Education reforms in state budget could narrow achievement gap
Last Monday, members of the Ohio House and Senate finally reconciled their respective versions of the state budget, passing it with bipartisan support in both chambers. While a $1.6 billion tax cut and funding for broadband and brownfield development will make headlines, the most historic provision of this budget is likely its change to the […]
How can we do higher quality early childhood programs in Ohio?
One provision in the Ohio Senate’s new $75 million budget passed last week that has garnered plenty of attention has to do with Step Up to Quality, the state’s system for promoting quality in early childhood programs in Ohio. The Senate budget removes the Step Up to Quality child care standards mandate, allowing child care […]
Bail reform could reduce disparities and save money
Last month, state Sens. Rob McColley and Steve Huffman introduced a bill to reform the bail system in Ohio. Ohio has already had some counties dip their toe in the bail reform water. Toledo’s Lucas County released twice as many defendants in 2015 in its first year using a new bail-setting system based on risk […]
Vax-a-Million: Is it worth it?
Last weekend, the Ohio Capital Journal reported that a state representative is considering introducing legislation to halt the “Vax-a-Million” campaign, a public outreach campaign that is famously giving $1 million to five Ohioans who have been vaccinated and registered for the program. The Journal has also covered the consternation with the program among legislators, with […]