Key job metrics over the past decade paint a mixed national jobs picture. On one hand, the number of job openings over that time shows a positive path and indicates relative optimism in the economy. On the other hand, the actual hiring rate fell, which suggests that not all is well in the labor market. Taken together, this shows the need to continue improving the environment for economic opportunities that can help all Americans.
Medicaid spending continues to grow rapidly and consume all in its path. In fact, Medicaid spending growth was happening well before the misguided expansion in 2013, and the influx of three quarters of a million able-bodied adults into the program has added new stresses on the program.
On Monday, Governor Kasich was speaking at the opening of a new natural gas-fired power plant in Oregon, Ohio when he said:
“…I think it’s important that Ohio stay in a deregulated environment which brings in investors. If all of a sudden you don’t have a level playing field, then you don’t have significant investment. It will go in another place.”
For decades, Ohioans have been struggling as the state economy fails to generate enough opportunity—in fact, Ohio has the fifth-worst level of private-sector job growth from 1990 to 2016. To reverse this trend, we need companies to invest in Ohio and create jobs.
It’s about time! Ohio is finally getting prepared to do a deep dive and review the state’s voluminous list of tax loopholes. It is about time. The Buckeye Institute has long been a leader in calling for exactly this type of review so that loopholes are closed and any revenue generated be used for the kind of simple, fair and pro-growth tax reform that is needed to improve Ohio’s economy and grow jobs.
An accused serial killer walked out of police custody only to commit another felony. Around that same time, another man was held in jail for violating a dress code. His crime — wearing a hoodie and saggy pants inside an RTA hub. The alleged murderer walked free, while the man with droopy drawers sat in jail. The reason? One had access to money while the other didn’t.
After multiple votes in the General Assembly, 47 vetoes by Governor Kasich, and 11 veto override votes in the House of Representatives (the most in 40 years!), Ohio now (almost) has a final two-year budget. The Senate has yet to act on the House’s veto overrides, so more changes could be made, but it seems safe to take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of the final budget as it now stands.
COLUMBUS – Moving like a virus from state to state, a scheme to subsidize nuclear power plants appeared in New York last year and has spread to Ohio, Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In Columbus, FirstEnergy is trying to convince lawmakers to establish a “zero emissions nuclear resource program” (ZEN) to prop-up its failing nuclear plants.
As bail reform proposals gain momentum across the country, the bail bond industry has been under the gun and bail agents—like Dog the Bounty Hunter—are looking to protect their profits. Bail reform advocates have been challenging the constitutionality of cash bail in court for years, but now the bail industry itself has filed suit to oppose New Jersey’s new bail initiatives.
By Ohio standards, the recently passed state budget was one of the better ones put together in a long time. However, as with any budget, for all of the positive parts, there were still some bad things tucked in there. As we go through the literally thousands of pages of details, we will highlight a few of these.
