Read about the proposal for giving Ohio graduates a tax credit if they stay in Ohio for multiple years here.

Now - the potential co-sponsors of this bill, State Representatives Josh Mandel (R- Lyndhurst) and Jay Goyal (D- Mansfield), have indicated that both Maine and Oklahoma have similar programs.  But neither the press release or any of the news stories I’ve seen have written about how those plans work, when they started and how if at all successful they’ve been.

I’ll try to get the ball rolling, although I’m not 100% sure I’ve found what they were referencing.  And I’d also like to go on record as hoping that the Ohio Chancellor for Education goes on the record with an opinion about the Mandel-Goyal initiative.

MAINE

The website for Maine’s Educational Opportunity Tax Credit program, which began in January 2008, Opportunity Maine has an FAQ page where you can see answers to many questions and download their version of the student contract.

What I notice from the front page is that Opportunity Maine says that it:

…was founded by student and community leaders from all over Maine who are committed to advancing economic opportunity and prosperity in Maine.

We are working to educate and organize Mainers of all ages and political persuasions about the importance of affordable higher education for our state’s economic and community development.

State reps are community leaders of a sort, but, like many pieces of legislation that get into the Ohio Genearl Assembly, I would like to know if it’s had involvement from student leaders.  So often, the draft legislation comes from some lobby or special interest group, like Ohio Learn and Earn or Phil Burress and the adult entertainment-related bills.  Or even the Castle Doctrine bill, which was opposed by many law enforcement groups. Mandel I know was a student leader when he was a student but that was several years ago (he’s now 30).  So I’d love to hear from current student leaders.  Maine’s program came directly from its citizens:

Opportunity Maine was founded by student and community leaders from all over Maine who are committed to advancing sustainable economic prosperity in our state. We succeeded in bringing the Opportunity Maine Initiative from idea to citizens’ initiative to law. For only the sixth time in Maine history, the Maine Legislature passed a citizens’ initiative outright – unanimously in the House of Representatives, overwhelmingly in the Senate, and with the enthusiastic signature of Governor John Baldacci. Now, through public education, grassroots organizing, policy development, and other means, we are working to make the Opportunity Maine program successful, bring educational opportunity to all Maine people, and develop the workforce Maine’s businesses need to succeed.

Here’s an editorial that lauds the program’s potential. Here’s a piece in opposition to the program, prior to its enactment. And here’s a piece that anticipates the program as it starts (just eight months ago). And, it made the Drum Major Institutes list of top ten policies for 2007.

OKLAHOMA

I’ve had little success in 10-15 minutes of searching for something similar in Oklahoma, though that state has a few other kinds of programs to help students afford college.  What I did find was a reference to tax credits in a 1999 document, Brain Gain 2010 and there’s a 2008 update of that document here. This OK tax credit program seems to be for corporations but I haven’t read it thoroughly and might be what Mandel and Goyal are referencing.

If anyone has better info, feel free to drop a note in the comments.  Both of these examples are very new and neither state seems to have information on the success of the plans as of right now.

BONUS: Here students in Massillion talk about the proposal.

More great coverage from Marc Kovac at the Capital Blog.

The press release from State Rep. Mandel (R, Lyndhurst) and Jay Goyal (D, Mansfield):

COLUMBUS – State Representatives Josh Mandel (R- Lyndhurst) and Jay Goyal (D- Mansfield) announced today they will soon introduce legislation to offer state income tax credits to Ohio-educated graduates in return for their commitment to stay and work in Ohio.

Under the legislation, graduates would be awarded a nonrefundable tax credit, based on the type of degree they earn. Those graduates would commit to staying in Ohio for at least five years, helping the state retain its bright young minds and building a skilled workforce to attract new business investment.

“Thousands of people are educated here in Ohio, then leave for what they see as greener pastures as they set out to start their careers,” Goyal said. “We need to provide all the incentives we can to make Ohio a destination rather than a pit stop for the innovative, creative young leaders our great colleges and universities produce.”

The legislation would award the following state income tax credits, generally to be claimed over a ten-year period:
·         Associate’s degree: $5,000
·         Bachelor’s degree: $20,000
·         Master’s degree or higher: $30,000

“I was born and raised here in Ohio and have decided to stay here to work, get married and eventually raise my family,” Mandel said. “Unfortunately, many of my peers from growing up are spread across the country. We need bold action so Ohio can reverse this exodus of young talent.”

Goyal and Mandel said each additional graduate retained through this program would generate an estimated $500,000 in state and local tax revenues over a 25-year span – a 2000-percent return on this tax credit investment. They see this incentive program as both a boon to graduates worried about college loan debt and a labor cost savings for business.

The legislation is currently in the process of being drafted.

First, I’d love to know who is drafting the legislation - often times but by no means every time, lobby groups submit their versions.

Second, would all majors be treated the same?

Third, what interim requirements and monitoring (substantiation of residence on Ohio) would be devised to ensure that the work is benefitting Ohio and Ohioans?

I’m sure I could think of more, but I’ll stop there for now.

Oh - one more - where’s the money coming from?

I love loan forgiveness programs and have written about that at the federal level several times.  So in theory, there’s promise in this idea.

But, as usual, the devil is in the details and in whomever is backing this proposal. I look forward to learning more from more objective sources than the potential sponsors.

In the meantime, head over to Marc’s blog and check out the three videos of Mandel and Goyal making the announcement - doesn’t appear there’s anyone there, but it is August 20 and we’ve got some serious concerns about a favored NE Ohio congresswoman.  Would be nice to see these young men issue a statement about that right about now.

I heard it at the post office - what can I tell you? Fannie, Bernie, Isaac, Vince, Pervez.  World gone mad. From the Plain Dealer:

Cleveland contractor Vincent Carbone pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy and money laundering for paying more than $200,000 in bribes in 1999 to get work on the Lorain County Justice Center.

Carbone will serve six months in prison and cooperate in the corruption case against former Lorain County Commissioner Michael Ross under the terms of the plea agreement. Charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and bribery against Carbone were dropped, said Lorain County Prosecutor Dennis Will and Roger Synenberg, Carbone’s lawyer.

“It was one horrible mistake in judgment in an otherwise exemplary life,” Synenberg said.

Carbone had worked for his grandfather’s company, R.P. Carbone Construction, since high school but is no longer involved with the company, Synenberg said.

No charges will be brought against the company, which has done numerous projects in Northeast Ohio, according to the plea agreement.

Carbone, 56, of Pepper Pike, resigned Monday from the Orange school board, Synenberg said.

The love isn’t all that new (you can see Umberto Fedeli’s political donations at the website of the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office) or that broad (he seems to stick to Jon Husted, candidates in my state house (Josh Mandel and Jim Trakas before him in the 17th) and state senate (the term-limited Bob Spada and the term-limited now seeking the open seat candidate Tom Patton in the 24th) districts, other Ohio GA seats in the NE and other statewide races like Mary Taylor for auditor and Greg Hartmann’s run against current SOS Jennifer Brunner but having President Bush dining so close to me?

Traveling 15 minutes southeast of Euclid, his motorcade pulled into the Gates Mills home of insurance executive and big Republican fund-raiser Umberto Fedeli. The home, guarded by gates and large shrubs, includes a trattoria that seats about 100 people and features a brick oven, professional stove and bar. The private event benefits Congressional Trust 2008, an effort to bolster GOP efforts in Congress. Proceeds will also be shared with the GOP Victory Fund, which helps Republican Presidential candidate John McCain.

Tickets cost $10,000 for general schmoozing and $25,000 for up-close schmoozing. The event topped out at about 110 people.

The press were barred from the event and sent instead to the home of Chef Carl Quagliata, who owns Giovanni’s Ristorante in Beachwood, Ohio. Quagliata himself was cooking for the president and is regular at Fedeli events.

I hope the rush hour traffic wasn’t affected - I’d hate for Bush’s visit to cause a big(ger) waste of gas.

Don’t know if this will freak out Mayor Bruce Akers and other long-time residents of Pepper Pike in particular (the ones who didn’t want to change the blue law about no garage sales on Sunday because my family observes Shabbat), but read it and gape:

Communities to Watch

• Eugene, Oregon
• Las Vegas, Nevada
• Shaker Heights/ Beachwood/ Pepper Pike, Ohio
• Maui, Hawai’i

For more information on these three neighborhoods, click here for a downloadable PDF.

Hooboy - open up that pdf and take a gander at all the Jewish-oriented locales in these three NEOhio cities!