Ohio’s economic future may suffer today.
Members of the House Workforce and Higher Education Committee will hear proponent testimony on Sebnate Bill 1 this morning, with a vote on the bill scheduled for later today.
The bill proposes a ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as the teaching of “controversial beliefs” in Ohio public colleges.
Despite over 1,000 testimonies against SB 1 from Ohioans across the state, the Senate passed the bill.
However, those senators may have been unaware at the time of their vote that Ohio’s public universities benefit the state economy and taxpayers.
If SB 1 is passed, the Ohio economy will suffer.
Senate Bill 1 will prove costly to Ohio
According to a 2023 study that assessed the economic impact of Ohio’s 14 public universities on the state economy, public universities contributed nearly $69 billion in income to the Ohio economy during the fiscal year 2021-22. That represents nearly 9% of Ohio’s total gross state product for the year and supports approximately 867,000 jobs.
Approximately 23% of students at Ohio’s public universities come from outside the state.
Many of them move here.
Both relocated out-of-state students and retained in-state students—those who would have left the state to pursue a degree elsewhere if they had not been accepted to a public university in Ohio—help to increase the student spending impact of public universities.
During the analysis year, spending by relocated and retained students generated approximately $795 million in income for the Ohio economy, with relocated out-of-state students accounting for approximately $549 million.
In other words, the spending generated by relocated out-of-state students alone is sufficient to support approximately 10,000 jobs in Ohio.
Aside from the beneficial spending impact of higher education in Ohio, providing a rigorous, quality education to college students that is not hampered by political agendas and ideological wars yields a positive return on investment for taxpayers.
Ohio could lose millions annually if Senate Bill 1 becomes law
Students benefit from a lifetime of higher wages and better quality of life outcomes in exchange for the money and time they invest in pursuing a degree at an Ohio public university.
Increased wages for students who graduate from Ohio’s public universities and stay in the state generate more tax revenue for state and local governments.
In 2021-22, alumni of Ohio’s public universities contributed more than $8 billion to state tax revenues.
SB 1 threatens to significantly reduce the financial impact of public university students.
If only a fraction of relocated out-of-state students chose not to pursue a degree at one of Ohio’s public universities, it could result in tens of millions of dollars lost each year.
Impact of Senate Bill 1 is already impacting recruitment
Furthermore, students who leave the state to attend college elsewhere—who would have stayed in Ohio to attend college if it weren’t for concerns about government surveillance and interference in curricula and instruction—and remain out of state will result in a loss of tax revenue for state and local governments.
We are already seeing signs at Ohio State University that the possibility of this bill becoming law is affecting student recruitment and increasing anxiety among current students.
Admitted graduate program applicants and current students who have spoken with faculty have expressed concerns about the quality of their education at Ohio State in light of the proposed prohibition of undefined “controversial beliefs” and a sense of belonging amidst palpable hostility to the recognition of any form of difference.
Given that SB 1 will harm the Ohio economy, the bill is anti-capitalist. For the sake of the Ohio economy, request that your House representative vote “no” on the bill.
