Jan 13 2021

Desiree Tims Named New President and CEO of Innovation Ohio

Today, Innovation Ohio announced that Desiree Tims will be the organization’s new President and CEO. She takes over from Janetta King, who founded the organization in 2011.

“I am elated to take the helm of Innovation Ohio, one of our state’s premier policy and advocacy organizations,” said Desiree Tims. “Through research, coalition building, and advocacy coordination, Innovation Ohio has long been on the forefront of fighting for innovative policies that help working families and create economic opportunity from the bottom up. I am committed to continuing and strengthening this vital work as we face some of our state’s and nation’s biggest challenges.”

Tims was born and raised in Dayton and is a proud product of Dayton Public Schools. After graduating from Xavier University, she worked in the Obama White House, and Capitol Hill for Sen. Sherrod Brown, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and a number of advocacy organizations. She is also a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center.

“Innovation Ohio has long led efforts to champion Ohio workers and honor the Dignity of Work, and I can think of no one better to lead the next chapter of the organization than Desiree Tims. Growing up in a working-class household in Dayton, Desiree has spent her career working for Ohioans like her, including through her work in my Senate office,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown. “I look forward to partnering with Desiree and Innovation Ohio in our continued efforts to create an economy in Ohio that works for working families.”

In 2020, Tims gained national attention for her campaign against Congressman Mike Turner. Her energetic campaign drew in new activists and set fundraising records against the entrenched incumbent.

“I am so excited to have this daughter of Dayton at the helm of one of the most important progressive organizations in Ohio,” said Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. “Innovation Ohio has long been a resource and partner for myself and other progressives, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

Innovation Ohio was founded as a progressive policy and advocacy hub. It has become an integral part of the progressive ecosystem, connecting activists and everyday Ohioans with statehouse advocacy.

“Over the last decade, Innovation Ohio has become the go to resource for advocates and activists in Ohio,” said former Gov. Ted Strickland. “New, innovative leadership from Desiree Tims offers a great opportunity for this dynamic organization.”

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Feb 05 2020

Voucher Proponents Sue Ohio Over 60-Day Delay

Pro-voucher forces have sued the state over a meager 60-day deal to delay the initial sign-up period for taxpayer-funded vouchers to send students to private schools.

Lawmakers moved the deadline from Feb. 1 to April 1.

This recent lawsuit on behalf of families seeking vouchers and religious private schools was spurred by a meager 60-day delay which allows lawmakers to address significant problems with a program that has skyrocketed in taxpayer cost over the last few years.

First of all, let us be extremely clear. The Ohio Constitution guarantees zero right for families opting to send their students to private schools to receive a taxpayer subsidy to do so.

However, there is a constitutional provision requiring that the state establish a system of common, public schools – a system that has yet to be fixed.

60 days vs. 10,200 days

Ohio’s school funding formula produces drastically different outcomes in poor districts versus wealthy districts. The Ohio Supreme Court has ordered four times that our system be fixed because the state relies too much on property taxes to equitably pay for the education of Ohio’s 1.7 million students.

Ohio’s school funding system is as unconstitutional today as it was more than 10,200 days ago when the DeRolph lawsuit was first filed. Sixty days doesn’t seem very long in comparison.

The delay spurring this recent lawsuit on behalf of families and religious private schools entailed a meager 60-days to address structural problems with a program that has skyrocketed in taxpayer cost over the last few years.

Competing priorities cause 60-day delay

What caused the 60-day delay? State Sen. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, wants to fix education not by investing in the system for 90 percent of Ohio’s students as Ohio’s Constitution demands, but by removing hundreds of millions of dollars from that system and instead handing it out to families that make as much as $100,000 a year or more to subsidize their child’s private school education.

The stated intent of vouchers is to give an out to students in “failing” school districts. Huffman wants to give vouchers even to students who never attended the qualifying public school districts in the first place.

Because of the primary way the vouchers are funded – directly removing state money from traditional public school districts – vouchers leave many districts with substantially less state aid. This loss of funding forces districts to choose between more frequent and larger property tax levies or fewer opportunities for students in districts.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Larry Householder, R-Glenford, doesn’t want the program to be based on the report card performance of school districts because everyone in the General Assembly agrees that the current state report card is deeply flawed.

Speaker Householder also does not want the money to be directly deducted from school districts’ state funding amounts. He wants the state to pay for vouchers directly.

A list of Ohio’s different school voucher types

While both sides could not agree on the future course of EdChoice performance-based vouchers before Saturday’s deadline (necessitating the delay), the fact that there are serious divisions among the Ohio Republican Caucuses suggests that changes may be soon to come.

Is a comprehensive fix for our broken school funding in sight?

In the background of this conversation about vouchers lingers the Cupp-Patterson education funding plan. If modified, Cupp-Patterson could provide the long-awaited fix to Ohio’s education finance system for the 90 percent of students attending our state’s public schools.

Speaker Householder has made it very clear that fixing school funding is a top priority for him.

We shall see how this all shakes out.

Vouchers do not produce better outcomes for students

Meanwhile, let us not forget that a pro-voucher group – the Thomas B. Fordham Institute – found a few years ago that “the students who actually left the public schools—at least those on the margin of eligibility—perform worse on statewide tests.”

Recently, I compared how public school districts performed on state tests versus how private schools taking vouchers in those communities performed.

In 8 of 10 cases, public school districts outperformed voucher schools by an average of 27 percentage points.

The 2 of 10 cases where the private school performed better was by a far more modest 9 percentage points (and that’s assuming every voucher provider with a mailing address is actually in that city, which we know is not true, but I wanted to be as generous as possible to the voucher schools).

Ohio is pouring more and more taxpayer money into a program that doesn’t appear to improve outcomes for our students but rather harms them.

Oct 08 2018

Visit the Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network’s Website

Jul 31 2018

Ohio 12 On The Issues: Balderson Voting Record

As a state legislator since 2009, Republican Troy Balderson has cast a number of significant votes. Here is a look at some of the most important positions he has taken throughout his 10 year legislative career:

Clean Energy

Balderson was the primary sponsor of legislation (SB310) that imposed a two-year freeze of Ohio’s renewable energy and energy efficiency standards, resulting in billions in lost investment and cost savings for consumers. [ASES. Ohio GOP Unveils Proposal To Freeze Renewable Energy Benchmarks. 4/3/14.] [Cleveland.com. Ohio legislature approves two-year freeze on renewable energy, energy efficiency standards. 5/28/14.][Center for American Progress. The Economic Fallout of the Freeze on Ohio’s Clean Energy Sector. 3/10/15.]

Guns

Balderson voted for Senate Bill 17, which made Ohio one of the handful of states that allow concealed firearms to be carried into places where liquor is served, including bars, sports arenas and nightclubs. [Ohio House of Representatives. Journal. p. 812. 6.15.11.] [Cleveland Plain Dealer. Guns in bars bill passes Ohio House, Senate concurs, Gov. John Kasich to sign it. 6.16.11.]
Balderson also voted for Senate Bill 199, which opened the door to the carry of concealed firearms in locations including daycare facilities and college campuses [Ohio Senate. Journal. p.2000. 12/8/16.][Cleveland.com. Gov. John Kasich signs bill to allow concealed carry at colleges, daycares, plus 16 other bills

Healthcare

Balderson voted for the Medicaid expansion freeze contained in Ohio’s two-year budget, blocking enrollment in Ohio’s highly-successful Medicaid expansion, which covers over 700,000 low-income Ohioans. The measure would effectively block re-enrollment as currently eligible individuals cycle off due to income and employment fluctuations and was estimated to result in a loss of coverage for 500,000 Ohioans. The measure was vetoed by Governor Kasich. [Ohio Senate. Journal. p. 1027. 6/28/17.][Cleveland Plain Dealer. [NBC4i. Kasich signs Ohio state budget, vetoes Medicaid freeze. 7/1/17.]

Labor

Balderson voted for Senate Bill 5, legislation that would have eliminated collective bargaining rights for public employees. The legislation would have exposed police, firefighters, teachers and nurses to unsafe working conditions by restricting the right of these employees’ to negotiate the type of equipment used and work assignments. The legislation also subjected public employees to an unfair, predetermined process for setting wages, made older workers vulnerable to layoffs without remedy and created punitive measures against public employees, including imprisonment and fines. The legislation was overturned by a citizen referendum in a major victory for organized labor. [Ohio House of Representatives. Journal. p. 405. 3/30/11.][CBS News. Ohio governor signs Senate Bill 5 into law. 3/31/11.][Cleveland Plain Dealer. Ohio voters overwhelmingly reject Issue 2, dealing a blow to Gov. John Kasich. 11/8/11.]

Local Communities

Balderson voted for a two-year state budget (House Bill 59) that cut funding for local first responders and other county and municipal services by $720 million compared to the prior two-year period. [Ohio Senate. Journal. 6/27/13. p. 1062.][Policy Matters Ohio. Ohio’s 2014-15 Budget. 10/3/13.]

Tax Fairness

With his vote for HB59 (above), Balderson supported the creation of a measure to exempt business income from the state income tax for owners of pass-through entities, a half-billion dollar annual giveaway with no evidence it would create jobs [Policy Matters Ohio. Ohio’s 2014-15 Budget. 10/3/13.] Since its creation, the tax break has been expanded and is now estimated to cost taxpayers $1.1 billion annually, with no evidence of job creation.

Voting Rights

Balderson voted for gerrymandered congressional maps (House Bill 319) that created 16 districts, 12 of which are drawn to favor Republicans in a state where the 2010 gubernatorial election was decided by a 2-point margin. These rigged maps produced the current 7-county 12th Congressional district Balderson is now seeking to represent. Prior to their inclusion in HB 319, the redrawn Congressional maps were drafted in a hotel room by legislative staffers in close coordination with Congressional Republicans. In one instance, lines were re-drawn to ensure a large corporate donor remained within the district of an incumbent Republican. [Ohio Senate. Journal. p1616. 9/21/11.][Cincinnati Enquirer. Ohio Dems sue over GOP congressional maps. 9/29/11.][Canton Repository. Boehner’s team had role in creating Timken ‘peninsula. 12/12/11.]

Women’s Health

Balderson cosponsored and voted for legislation (House Bill 214) to criminalize abortion after a fetal Down Syndrome diagnosis. The legislation was quickly blocked by a federal judge as unconstitutional. [Ohio Senate. Journal. p. 1536. 12/13/17.][Cleveland.com. John Kasich signs Down syndrome abortion ban. 12/22/17.] [Cleveland.com. Federal judge blocks Ohio Down syndrome abortion ban. 3/14/18.]
Balderson voted for legislation (Senate Bill 28) that requires the burial or cremation of fetal material resulting from an abortion (but not miscarriages). Ohio would be the fifth state to pass this intrusive requirement; legislation in the other four states is tied up in court. [Ohio Senate. Journal. p. 1582. 1/17/18.][Columbus Dispatch. Ohio Senate passes bill requiring burial, cremation of aborted fetuses. 1/17/18.][ThinkProgress. Ohio Senate passed a bill that requires fetal tissue to be buried or cremated. 1/18/18.]
Balderson voted for legislation (SB145) that would outlaw the most common form of 2^nd trimester abortion. [Ohio Senate. Journal. p. 1030. 6/28/17.][cleveland.com. Ohio bill would ban most abortions after 13 weeks. 5/4/17.]
Balderson voted to ban abortions after a detectable heartbeat (House Bill 493), which can occur as early as six weeks of gestation, before most women know they are pregnant. [Ohio Senate. Journal. p.1816. 12/6/16.][Washington Post. Ohio governor vetoes ‘heartbeat bill’ but signs another abortion restriction into law. 12/13/16.]

Jul 23 2018

Ohio 12th Congressional District Special Election Resources

Special Election

The Special Election for Ohio’s 12th Congressional District (to fill the vacancy resulting from the retirement of Rep. Pat Tiberi) will be held on Tuesday, August 7.

Early voting starts July 10. Early voting hours are as follows:

Tuesday, July 10 to Friday, July 27 (Weekdays) 8:00am – 5:00pm

Monday, July 30 to Friday, August 3 8:00am – 7:00pm

Saturday, August 4 8:00am – 4:00pm

Sunday, August 5 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Monday, August 6 8:00am – 2:00pm

Find your polling location

Request a vote-by-mail ballot online

About the 12th District

The 12th district, once made up primarily of Columbus and its northeastern suburbs, is the former Congressional district of Ohio Governor John Kasich. In 2011, the district map was redrawn to pick up part or all of 7 counties extending from Mansfield to Columbus, and west to Zanesville. In all, the district is made up of Morrow, Delaware and Licking, and portions of Richland, Marion, Franklin and Muskingum Counties.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the 12th district is “wealthier, more highly educated and less diverse than Ohio as a whole” Demographic characteristics include:

Median family income, $67,415 in the district vs. $52,334 for all of Ohio.
Median home value, $204,900 vs. $140,100 for all of Ohio.
Adults (age 25 and over) with a bachelor’s degree or above: 41 percent vs. 27.5 percent for all of Ohio
Minority population: 14.7 percent vs. 20.6 percent for all of Ohio.
Median age: 40,0 vs. 40.7 for all of Ohio.

Read the complete profile of the 12th Congressional District

Meet the Candidates

Democrat: Danny O’Connor, 31
(website)

Republican: Troy Balderson, 57
(website)

On The Issues

Healthcare: What’s at Stake and Where They Stand

Jun 18 2018

Estimate: Total 18-Year ECOT Overpayment

When the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) was caught billing the state a total of $80 million in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 for students they couldn’t prove they actually educated, the immediate question arose: how much more did they potentially rip off taxpayers during their entire 18 years in operation?

In 9 of the 18 years of ECOT’s existence, the Department of Education found and documented overpayments of various sizes. Based on these findings, we took the percentage overpayment in each of those years, calculated an average percentage of overpayment during those FTE reviews, then applied that to the years in which ECOT’s enrollment wasn’t scrutinized. The estimated overpayment was combined with the previously-reported overpayments, and the result is that approximately $189 million was overbilled during the school’s time in operation.*

>> Bottom Line: ECOT may have overbilled Ohio taxpayers appoximately $189 million

This estimate is likely lower than the true amount because for many years, the Ohio Department of Education simply didn’t examine ECOT’s enrollment with the same scrutiny it did in the 2000-2001, 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school years thanks to a deal it cut with ECOT early in its existence — a deal that has been at the heart of the ECOT legal battle. However, every court that has heard this case — including judges who received political contributions from ECOT founder Bill Lager — has agreed that the Department could have kept using the standard it used in its first and final two reviews for all the other reviews.

The Department simply chose not to do so. Also telling is that in the 2016-2017 school year, after ECOT knew the Department was actually going to require participation figures, they still overbilled by about 20 percent and were actively trying to game the system, according to a whistleblower.

In terms of ripoff scale, the infamous Tom Noe “Coingate” scandal from 2005-2006 involved $50 million in unemployment insurance money — technically not even taxpayer money . And even with this relatively conservative estimate we’ve calculated, ECOT’s taxpayer ripoff could represent more than four times as much money as Coingate, likely even more.

Tom Noe was given more than 20 years in prison for his scandal. Will this much larger, taxpayer funded scandal produce similar results?

We’ll see.

*Note: Please see attached methodology for a detailed explanation, data and reference material for how this estimate was calculated.

Jan 23 2018

Redistricting Update

Revising the way Ohio draws Congressional district lines will continue to be a fast-moving issue at the Statehouse this week, as two Republican-introduced plans get consideration in committee.

Senator Matt Huffman’s SJR5, unveiled last week, is scheduled for hearings both today and Wednesday in the Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee. This bill in its current form has been opposed by both the Fair Districts = Fair Elections coalition and Democrats. It is likely to be amended in some form this week.

Senate Govt. Oversight & Reform: Tues. 2:30 p.m., Senate Finance Hearing Rm
Senate Govt. Oversight & Reform: Weds. 9:45 a.m., Senate Finance Hearing Rm

Both hearings will allow for supporters and opponents to testify. SJR5 is scheduled for a possible vote on Wednesday.

The House, meanwhile, indicated yesterday that it intends to introduce a competing proposal by Representative Schuring at a hearing of the House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee on Tuesday. The hearing was cancelled, but additional hearings remain on the schedule for Wednesday and Thursday. It is unclear what form this proposal will take.

House Govt. Accountability & Oversight: Wed 1:45pm: Statehouse Room 313
House Govt. Accountability & Oversight: Thurs, 9:30am: Statehouse Room 114

Bottom line: any plan must be approved by both chambers by February 7 to appear on the May 8 primary ballot. The key question is whether either plan can generate bipartisan support, or if a partisan plan will go before voters.

Contact your Senators and Representatives today and urge them to work on a bipartisan basis towards a redistricting solution that everyone can support. Partisan redistricting plans that can result in majority-drawn maps leave us no better off than we are under the current system, which splits the swing state of Ohio into 12 majority and just 4 minority districts.

You can find your state legislators by using this tool.

Nov 13 2017

Statehouse Preview: Week of November 13th

Down Syndrome Abortion Bill Up For Vote In Senate; Could Be Sent To Kasich For Signing This Week

Senate Committee to Vote on Down Syndrome Abortion Ban Tomorrow

SB 164, a companion bill to the Down syndrome abortion ban already passed by the House is scheduled to be voted out of committee this week. If this happens, the most likely scenario will see the entire Senate taking it up the next day for a vote. If passed, it will then be sent to Governor Kasich to be signed into law.

The Senate committee will meet tomorrow at 3:15 PM in Rm 315.

Senate Session is scheduled for Wednesday at 1:30 PM.

Outside of pressuring Governor Kasich to veto the legislation, these two votes will be last opportunities to stop this legislation.

Another Abortion Ban Is Moving Towards Passage

SB 145, a bill that would outlaw the most common method of second trimester abortions will have its first hearing in the House on Tuesday at 1:30 PM in House Criminal Justice Committee in Rm 114. This bill has already been passed by the Senate.

Stand Your Ground Bill Gets Second Hearing

SB 180, a version of the “Stand Your Ground” laws passed in other states gets a second hearing this week. This bill would eliminate the duty to retreat before using deadly force for most places in Ohio. It would also raise the legal standard of disproving a defendant acted in self-defense and shift the burden of defeating a self-defense claim by a defendant to the prosecutor.

This bill will be considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday November 14th @ 10:15 AM in the North Hearing Rm.

Raise Your Voice to Stop the Bans

The Ohio legislature has continued to advance abortion bans, making it more difficult and costly – and sometimes completely impossible – to access reproductive health care. This upcoming week, the legislature will take up two abortion ban bills: the Senate version of the Down syndrome abortion ban (SB164) and the abortion method ban (SB145).

TAKE ACTION: It’s time for the legislature to stop the bans! You can take action in a few different ways:

Show up: Attend the StopTheBans Statehouse Day(s) hosted by our partners at NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio starting at 1:30 PM on Tuesday, November 14. Get the full details and schedule here.
Contact your representative: Find and contact your state legislators here. Urge them to end attacks on abortion access, including the Down syndrome abortion bans (SB164 and HB214) and the abortion method ban (SB145)
Get active on social media: Use the hashtag #StopTheBans to add your voice to the conversation

Oct 09 2017

Statehouse Preview: Week of October 9th

Innovation Ohio to Testify in Support of Tampon Tax Repeal Bill; Down Syndrome Abortion Ban Gets Third Hearing

Bill Ending the Tax on Feminine Hygiene Products to Get Second Hearing on Tuesday

The House Ways and Means Committee will be hearing proponent testimony Tuesday @ 9 AM in Room 121 on HB 61, a bill that would end Ohio’s sales tax on the sale of feminine hygiene products. This tax on a basic necessity can be especially burdensome to women in poverty. Currently, 13 states and DC exempt these products from sales taxes. With four doing so in the past year. Innovation Ohio’s Erin Ryan will be providing proponent testimony on this bill to highlight the importance of rolling back this tax on Ohio’s women.

Bill Banning Abortion For Women Pregnant With Fetus Diagnosed With Down Syndrome Gets Third Hearing

HB 214, a bill preventing women from aborting a fetus diagnosed with Down Syndrome if that diagnosis is in some way part of the reason for seeking the abortion, will receive a third hearing this week. The House Health Committee will meet on Wednesday @ 9 AM in Room 121 to hear opponent and interested party testimony on the bill.

Both Houses in Session This Week

The House and Senate are both scheduled to be in Session on Wednesday at 1:30 PM.