Policy Matters Ohio

On Thursday, federal agents raided the offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and attempted to question and intimidate OOC staff, board, and leaders around the state. Above all, we are grateful that our friends, allies, and partners in OOC are safe.

OOC has spent years helping Ohioans build power for racial and economic justice. The democratic, multi-racial coalitions they foster are joyful, powerful, and people-centered. OOC’s work and existence are a reminder that solidarity wins.

If you know the OOC leaders, it will come as no surprise that they aren’t backing down. In the coming days and weeks, they will continue their transformative work of helping people — especially Black people — exercise their freedom to vote. For more on how you can get involved, visit their website: www.ohorganizing.org

For two decades, Ohio Organizing Collaborative has worked to ensure that every Ohioan has a voice in our democracy.

We are proud of our work, stand by our program and staff, and will not be deterred from carrying out our vital mission.

Ohio's GA is at it again, attempting to roll back child labor protections--this time by tacking on language to an education bill, Substitute House Bill 455. This legislation is moving quickly, so email your Senator now and tell them to cut that provision. (Details and ready-to-send email template are at the link.)

actionnetwork.org

Have an opinion about data centers??? Now's the time to call your legislators:

Ohio data center policy is taking shape. Tell legislators to protect communities, workers, and public resources. - Policy Matters Ohio Ohio’s legislature will likely advance a package of data center provisions next week, after a series of hearings in the Senate Energy Committee next week. The committee is accepting all testimony for two hearings on Tuesday. The details of the legislation are unclear, but Ohio lawmakers have a wid...

Ohio Charter School Educators Ratify Union Contracts After Years of Negotiations COLUMBUS/CLEVELAND — Educators at two Ohio charter schools, Menlo Park Academy and KIPP Columbus, have just ratified their first union contracts after years of negotiations.“We are thrilled that we were finally able to reach a contract agreement that addresses many of the issues that caused us t...

Seems like a good time to remind folks of the resources we shared last year in our virtual town hall, “Can America keep its promises to Ohio veterans?”

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Trump Kicks His Dismantling of Veterans’ Health Care Into High Gear - The American Prospect His proposed new budget shrinks the VA’s ability to meet veterans’ needs.

Opinion | How the Oprah Tax Code Swept America (Gift Article) Here’s how to make taxes work.

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“Attacks on Medicaid and other public programs often follow a familiar script: amplify a handful of sensational stories, suggest the entire system is corrupt, use the outrage to justify cuts to public services. We’ve seen this playbook before. It’s been used for decades to divide working people from one another while shifting attention away from policies that concentrate wealth and power at the top.”

Worth the read from our friends Maine Center for Economic Policy!

7 things to know about the political attacks on MaineCare - MECEP For decades, politicians have used isolated stories about public assistance fraud to divide people and build support for cuts that ultimately hurt working families while benefiting the […]

“These numbers confirm that lawmakers were working with wildly inaccurate information,” said Zach Schiller, research director at Policy Matters Ohio. “Forecasts weren’t just off — they missed the mark by more than a billion dollars, undermining responsible policymaking and public trust.”