A new analysis reveals the richest 1% of Ohio households pay $50,000 dollars less a year in state taxes than 17 years ago. According to research from Policy Matters Ohio and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the 2005 budget bill was a major restructuring of the tax system, which resulted in an upside-down tax code, forcing Ohioans who are paid the least to pay the highest share of their income in state taxes. Guillermo Bervejillo, state policy fellow at Policy Matters Ohio and the report s author, said the tax changes span the gamut. .
A battle between Arizona legislators and the state s 230 public school districts over a four-decade-old funding cap has put students and their families squarely in the crossfire. The issue is a constitutional amendment limiting public school funding to the amount approved back in 1980, with adjustments for inflation. If lawmakers don t approve a normally automatic override by March 1, schools will lose more than $1 billion in funding. .
Today at the Idaho Statehouse, a panel will take up the possibility of ending religious exemptions to medical neglect of children. Idaho is one of a handful of states that protects parents if their child is seriously injured or dies because the parents have withheld medical treatment for religious reasons. Linda Martin, a former member of the Followers of Christ Church, one of the most prominent faith-healing communities in Idaho, said she remembers going to funerals of family members and friends as young as age 4. .
The Food and Drug Administration this week has authorized Pfizer booster shots for kids ages 12 to 15, as well as a third shot for younger children who are immunocompromised and might not respond fully to two shots. Experts are encouraging Kentucky parents to consult their pediatrician or family doctor and create a "game plan" for their kids COVID vaccinations. For children with certain conditions, said Ben Chandler, chief executive of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, the benefits of the vaccine s protection against the coronavirus far outweigh any potential side effects, "especially if their child has asthma, diabetes or other vulnerabilities. .
New data reveals a promising trend in the well-being of Ohio s kids. In 2020, 16.8% of Ohio children lived in poverty, nearly 423,000 children, the lowest percentage reported since 2000. Emily Campbell, associate director of the Center for Community Solutions, noted the data is a one-year estimate from the Census Bureau s 2020 American Community Survey, which carries some uncertainty because of disruptions caused by the pandemic. .