Study: Ohio’s real unemployment rate is 11.5 percent

By   /  May 17, 2013  /  News, Ohio  /  No Comments

Ohio's unemployment rate would jump to 11.5 percent if labor force dropouts were included in the calculations.

A new study by the Mercatus Center at George Washington University says Ohio’s real unemployment rate is closer to 11.5 percent, not the 7.0 percent reported for April 2013.

Read More →

Will Ohio ban government-mandated Project Labor Agreements?

By   /  May 16, 2013  /  News, Ohio, Ohio WatchBlog  /  2 Comments

As of 2013, 16 states have banned government-mandated Project Labor Agreements. Will Ohio join the group?

As with any subject, especially political ones, whether something is good or bad depends upon who you ask. Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) are no different, but even their definition is subject to opinion.

Read More →

New website lets Ohioans track rules, regulations

By   /  May 9, 2013  /  News, Ohio  /  No Comments

.

In Ohio, there are 145 different state entities that have rule-making authority, so figuring out which of the more than 9,000 yearly rules actions might impact you can be a daunting task, especially because the consequences of not following them can be costly.

With the creation of RuleWatchOhio.com, that task just became a bit easier.

Read More →

OH bill would create searchable database of state spending

By   /  May 8, 2013  /  Featured, News, Ohio  /  No Comments

Rep. Mike Dovilla will introduce a bill creating a searchable database of Ohio's checkbook.

Would you like to see how many checks the State of Ohio issues, to whom and for how much?

You’ll be able to do just that if Rep. Mike Dovilla, R-Berea, gets his way.

Read More →

Ohio bill boosts penalties for assaulting transit workers

By   /  April 24, 2013  /  Featured, News, Ohio  /  No Comments

END OF THE LINE: An Ohio bill would ban riders convicted of assaulting bus drivers from all public transit in the state.

Should bus drivers and other transit workers have special status when they are the victim of an assault? Ohio Senators Tom Patton, R-Strongsville, and Nina Turner, D-Cleveland, think so.

They’ve introduce S.B. 107, which, would make an assault on a bus driver or other transit employee more serious than an assault on an ‘ordinary’ citizen.

Read More →