Tag: Rea S. Hederman Jr.

Ohio Unemployment Remains Steady for Second Straight Month

The Center Square
Workers at Meeting

by J.D. Davidson   Ohio’s September labor statistics continued to lag the rest of the nation, but analysts see positive signs. According to figures released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the state’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.5% for the second consecutive month. However, the labor force participation rate rose slightly to 62.4% from 62.3%. Both of those numbers were below the national average. The national unemployment rate continues to fall, finishing September at 4.1%, while the labor force participation rate closed at 62.7%. “September’s report contained good news, with 9,500 new private-sector jobs erasing August’s job loss,” said Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute. “Although private-sector job growth has continued throughout 2024, growth remains slow, with some down months slowing the overall upward trend.” The job growth has other analysts optimistic about the labor market’s concerns. “Strong job gains in September mirror national employment trends, which exceeded expectations last month,” said Molly Bryden, researcher with Policy Matters Ohio. “Recent growth alleviates broad concerns around a weakening labor market, and as the Fed continues to lower interest rates, Ohioans can remain hopeful…

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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Urges General Assembly to Pass State Budget

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is urging the General Assembly to pass the full biennial budget before its June 30th deadline rather than to pass a temporary budget with negotiations continuing into July.

Under the Ohio Constitution, the state’s two-year budget must be passed and signed into law before the fiscal year’s end on June 30th. However, the budget legislation approved by the Ohio House and Ohio Senate differ significantly from one another.

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Ohio Lawmakers May Miss June 30th Deadline for State Budget

Hannah Poling

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) indicated that the state legislature may miss the deadline for the state’s biennial budget with negotiations to continue into July.

Under the Ohio constitution, the state’s two-year budget must be passed and signed into law before the fiscal year’s end on June 30th. However, the budget legislation approved by the Ohio House and Senate differ significantly from one another.

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Feds Nix Ohio Plan to Tying Expanded Medicare Benefits to Work, Training, ‘Engagement’

Brian Ball
Inside DMV, people standing in line

  The Biden administration has squelched a fledgling Ohio program requiring those in their prime working years receiving Medicaid health coverage to get a job to remain covered. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMMS), on Wednesday withdrew approval of a pilot program the Trump administration had approved in March 2019 that would have required able-bodied Medicaid health insurance ages 19-50 to work unless they were attending school, getting job-training, taking care of family members, or doing other “community engagement” for least 80 hours per month in order to receive the medical benefits. Implementation of the program, set to begin in January had been put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Brooks-LaSure’s 23-page letter to the Ohio Department of Medicaid cited a litany of potential lingering effects of the pandemic as the reason for withdrawing the waiver granted 17 months ago altogether. “Uncertainty regarding the current crisis and the pandemic’s aftermath, and the potential impact on economic opportunities (including job skills training, work and other activities used to satisfy the community engagement requirement), and access to transportation and affordable child care, have greatly increased the risk that implementation…

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Think Tank Calls for Ohio Government to Take Common-Sense Measures to Fight Coronavirus and Aid in Economic Recovery

Jason M. Reynolds

A new policy brief lays out actions that Ohio policymakers can immediately implement so Ohio can fight and yet recover from the coronavirus pandemic, and it doesn’t involve unilaterally moving primaries or shutting down businesses.

The Buckeye Institute released the brief on Monday.

The brief, Policy Solutions for the Pandemic: How Ohio Can Fight the Impact of Coronavirus, is available here.

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