Committee Hears Testimony for House Bill 100 to Fund Job Training at Thrift-Based Nonprofits

Chairman Romer and members of the House Ways and Means Committee heard proponent testimony on House Bill 100, a proposal to create a grant program administered by the Ohio Department of Development to allow nonprofit retailers that sell donated goods to apply for funds to expand job-training and placement services.

The bill drew testimony from Ann Richards, president and CEO of Goodwill of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio, and Willie Knighton Jr., reentry support specialist at Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio. "I ask for your support of this bill to create a new program through the Department of Development by which nonprofit organizations that sell donated goods could apply for a grant to create or expand job training and job placement programs for individuals with barriers to employment," Richards told the committee. Knighton said passing the bill would deliver measurable benefits for returning citizens and others: "By passing House Bill 100, you will have a direct effect on helping people in our state who need a hand up to financial independence and a true second chance."

Richards described Goodwill’s statewide footprint and services: Ohio Goodwill organizations placed about 4,500 people into competitive employment in 2024 and assisted approximately 96,000 Ohioans through job-readiness and training programs, she said. She and other witnesses told the committee that revenues from donated goods fund many of those services and that competition from for-profit collectors has reduced the donations available to local Goodwill organizations. Richards said some for-profit collectors place donation bins in communities and ship donations out of the country, a practice she said harms nonprofit resellers and local job programs.

Knighton described Goodwill’s reentry work in northwest Ohio, saying the organization served 592 returning citizens with direct assistance in 02/2024 and placed 139 of them into jobs last year. He also cited recidivism figures in his testimony, saying the Goodwill reentry program’s recidivism rate was 5% compared with the state rate he cited as roughly 30%.

Committee members asked how grant funds would be used and whether grants should include administrative allowances. Richards said most grantees would use funds to expand direct program services rather than administrative costs; she mentioned one Goodwill’s employer-focused program, Prosperity to Work, as an example of how funds would be applied. Representative Hall pressed on whether the grant should include a percent for administrative costs; Richards said typical admin rates are around 10–12% but that her organization would not plan to use the new grant for administration.

The committee recorded written testimony, including a submission from Justin Barnes of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. No vote was taken at the hearing. The chair closed the testimony and moved to the committee’s next bill.