About Senate Bill 37

About SB37 Senate Bill 37 removes the ability to suspend a person’s license for non-driving related issues, such as unpaid parking tickets, therefore removing the barrier to employment for millions of hard-working Ohioans and businesses that employ them. Ohio sees roughly 3 million license suspensions per year with over 60% of these being for debt-related…

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Real-Time Takes: Expungements – Coming Soon!

Real-Time Takes A Policy Blogcast Expungements COMING SOON! On April 4, 2023, Ohio Senate Bill 288 went into effect which expands the eligibility for expunging or sealing criminal records and shortens waiting periods for filing a petition with the court.   The following offenses cannot be expunged or sealed: 1st or 2nd degree felonies 3…

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Real-Time Takes: Second Sentence

Real-Time Takes A Policy Blogcast The Second Sentence Interview with Tammy McCrimon & Renee Ditchburn July 7, 2023 Interview by Brian Balogh A recent New York Times article delved into a devastating fact: over 60 percent of those leaving prison in the United States are unemployed a year later.  While prejudice against returning citizens is…

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Real-Time Takes: Job Quality

Real-time Takes A Policy Blogcast Job Quality Interview with Brenden Wyatt & Dondreya Allen June 1, 2023 Interview by Brian Balogh When I ask my kids if they like their job, the first thing they mention is how much it pays – or does not pay.  But whatever the pay scale and fringe benefits, the…

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Policy Corner: Voting With A Record

Voting with a criminal record There is a lot of misinformation out there. Be sure to know your rights. You are eligible to vote as long as you are not incarcerated in jail or prison for a felony conviction. That means, if you are in a half-way house, on probation or parole, on some sort…

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Policy Corner: June 2020

Policy Corner: We are following the following issues in the statehouse: Fines and fees related to driver’s license reinstatement Legislative Win! HB 285 has passed in the Ohio House and Senate! HB 285 will make permanent the Driver’s License Reinstatement Fee Debt Reduction and Amnesty Program. This is an important policy for Towards Employment participants.…

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December Policy Corner

Towards Employment is following these issues in the statehouse: a. Fines and fees related to driver’s license reinstatement Legislative Opportunity: Support HB285 (has passed in the Ohio House) in the Senate to make permanent the Driver’s License Reinstatement Fee Debt Reduction and Amnesty Program as well as expand the number of people who qualify b.…

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TE Attends National Skills Coalition Conference

On February 5th-7th, Towards Employment was represented at the National Skills Coalition Conference by Senior Manager Bishara Addison. She participated as the State lead alongside representatives from Tri-C, Automation Tool & Die, the Literacy Cooperative, and Policy Matters OH. National Skills Coalition is a broad-based coalition of workforce providers, community colleges, career trade schools, policy advocates,…

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Federal sentencing matters.

On May 10, 2017 US Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memorandum that directed Justice Department prosecutors to “charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense.” This means that federal prosecutors have been instructed to indict defendants on the highest charges available, charges that could result in longer sentences within the parameters of existing sentencing…

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