CfEC is currently working to ensure that those eligible for drivers licenses under HB29  obtain those licenses, and to better understand the reasons that so many eligible citizens have not been able to do so. After the bill passed.  In September, Towards Employment received a  $20,000 grant from the Ohio Transformation Fund (OTF) to work with its participants and alumni to restore drivers licenses. Based on this work, TE will collect and publish stories of lived experience from individuals who have and have not been able to benefit from the legislation to help shape future strategies that expand impact of HB29.

Also, the OTF awarded  CfEC member LegalWorks a $20,000 grant to expand the warrant clearance initiative to all jurisdictions in Northeast Ohio.  LegalWorks also plans to launch a pilot program that will provide legal representation for citizens at post-sentencing ability to pay hearings.  This pilot will serve as a model for all jurisdictions in Northeast Ohio.

This summer, CfEC organized a team from Cleveland to attend training sessions sponsored by the Fines and Fees Justice Center.  Based upon Team Cleveland’s contributions to this series of webinars, CfEC coordinator Brian Balogh and Cleveland Assistant Prosecutor Isaiah Pinckney were invited to attend a national conference funded by the Arnold Ventures Foundation focused on improving judicial ability to pay determinations at the point of sentencing.   Two initiatives followed from the conference focused on the Cleveland Municipal Court: 1) a study to determine the point at which collecting debt from fines and fees is no longer cost-effective; and 2) enhanced data collection through pretrial services to provide judges with a snapshot of a defendant’s ability to pay at sentencing.