A reasonable approach to Ohio problem

When you know there’s a problem, inaction is not the solution. And Ohio has a problem, declining population in cities, a slow rate of population growth, and employers who can’t find trained workers for jobs.

That’s why legislation proposed by Rep. Jon Cross, (R., Kenton) deserves support. The Graduating and Retaining Ohio’s Workforce Act targets precisely those troubles which Ohio faces.

The legislation claims support from both colleges and universities and the state Chamber of Commerce.

The point of the legislation parallels its title.

The bill would offer incentives and help with community college and four-year degrees to students who stay in Ohio.

One unique approach in the bill is an income tax break for Ohio college students who stay in the state to work after graduation. Those individuals will pay no income tax for those three years. Once someone is in a job for three years, they’ve begun to set down roots in a community, increasing the likelihood they’ll stay.

Other provisions aim to keep out–of–state students who come to Ohio for college in the state after graduation. It will create a range of scholarships for those students and offer loan forgiveness — as long as they stay in Ohio.

For all too long, Ohio has lost too many young people who came to Ohio for college, root for Ohio State or Toledo, but went back to their home state or wherever they found a job.

The bill would also offer businesses a wage tax credit for providing paid internships and apprenticeship programs — that’s important because not every good job requires a four–year college degree.

It’s rather like the help offered to medical students to pay off a portion of their loans if they work in a community health clinic or in an underserved area. That program is not a free pass and neither is the one proposed by Mr. Cross.

The payoff can offset the costs of the program many times over.

The new proposal doesn’t have an estimated price tag yet, but the price of doing nothing to stem the loss of Ohio’s brain and skills drain is much higher.

While Ohio’s population slightly increased between 2010 and 2020, the rate of growth is far below the national average of 7.4 percent, and it’s cities like Toledo that have been hardest hit.

It’s not what you think. Yes, declining population relative to other states weakens Ohio’s strength in Congress when seats are lost.

Census numbers also determine how many federal dollars come Ohio’s way each and every year.

What’s more critical is that a larger employed population means more taxpayers and more people in homes throughout the state. It also means Ohio employers can better fill jobs over the coming years.

Keeping students and future employees in Ohio is worth the effort, and the Graduating and Retaining Ohio’s Workforce Act can become a critical part of fulfilling that goal.

The payoff can offset the costs of the program many times over.