By Anna Huntsman/Broadcast version by Mary Kuhlman
Reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.

Over the loud protests of preservation groups, Congress has repealed one tax credit for historic building restoration and changed the terms of another, sparking uncertainty about the future of historic rehabilitation projects in Ohio and across the nation.

Ohio ranked first in the nation for completed federal historic tax credit projects in 2016, with 103 approved across the state. In the GOP effort to simplify the tax code, the first draft of the Tax Cuts and Job Act eliminated federal historic tax credits entirely, despite the significant economic development they encouraged each year.

“We were living kind of a waking nightmare,” said Mariangela Pfister, the deputy state historic preservation officer for Ohio. “As Ohioans, I think we really see the benefit of the historic tax credit.”

Since 1976, individuals could receive 20 percent federal tax credit for restoring buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places or in a designated historic district. If the building was constructed before 1936 but not on the Register, the individual could apply to receive a 10 percent federal tax credit.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, however, now requires individuals to receive portions of the 20 percent credit over a five-year period, rather than in one lump sum. Congress also removed the 10 percent credit altogether.

The federal historic tax credit is used to help offset the enormous cost of rehabilitating an old building.

“A lot of projects that we’ve worked on would not even be feasible financially if it weren’t for that sort of tax credit being available,” said Eric Pros, project design manager at D.S. Architecture, which recently has helped renovate several buildings in Portage County. “The cheapest thing to do would to be to not reinvest in these old buildings, or the people that do have them would not be able to do as good of a job restoring them.”

Pros helped design two projects that used the federal historic tax credit in Portage County: Ravenna’s Phoenix Block, which was renovated in 2016, and the L.N. Gross Building in Kent, which was finished last year and now houses his company.

“With historic buildings...it was interesting going and seeing the existing conditions and how bad some of those conditions were, and then seeing the details on how to fix it,” Pros said. “Seeing the final result was a really incredible experience.”

Modern upgrades often are necessary to keep the structure up to code, but tax credits can only be used for restoring the historical aspects of the building. Pros said this is another reason federal aid is so crucial in completing the projects.

“The big goal of having these rules is to maintain the character of the building,” he said. “You can clearly respect the new aspects and understand the old as well.”

The Phoenix Block received funding from state grants, historical societies and loans from a local bank. The federal HTC was the second-highest amount of funding for the project -- second only to the state tax credit, which was roughly $100 more. The project was approved for $366,132 in federal tax credit, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the $1,986,682 used to help fund the project.

Under the rules that took effect Jan. 1, this project would have received $72,226 each year for five years, rather than receiving the lump sum at first.

Nationwide, the National Park Service certified 1,039 historic-preservation projects in 2016. The NPS estimates the average investment of these completed projects was $5.8 billion, creating more than 100,000 local jobs.

Advocacy groups including Heritage Ohio sprang into action when word spread that the credit was on the chopping block last fall. Executive Director Joyce Barrett helped lead this statewide effort.

“We knew it was coming; (then) we had to get to work,” Barrett said. “We reached out to our friends across the state.”

As the tax bill was rewritten multiple times from one legislative body to the next, advocates called Ohio lawmakers, wrote editorials in newspapers, lobbied Congress members and accumulated thousands of signatures on a Change.org petition. Barrett said they met on a conference call every Monday to touch base and figure out the next plan of action for the new week.

“(Barrett) was able to join these forces together in this...‘Ohio movement’ to support the federal historic tax credit,” said Pfister.

Congress members sought to overhaul the U.S. tax code to provide tax cuts to Americans and simplify its rules. Pfister added that the 10 percent HTC was not used as often, which could explain why it was repealed under the new bill.

If both the 20 percent and 10 percent federal historic tax credits had been eliminated, Ohio projects could still attempt to get credit through the state’s program, which is managed by the Ohio Development Services Agency. Ohio’s state tax credit is independent from the federal program and undergoes a separate review process. In addition, individuals receive a higher tax credit - 25 percent - through the state than the federal program. A person can receive both federal and state tax credit for renovating a structure.

Some states, however, do not have their own tax credit program, which is why Barrett said keeping the federal credit was crucial.

“Thirty-six states have state historic tax credits,” Barrett added. “What if the federal went away? Would there be enough for the state?”

What happens now?

To receive credit according to the old rules, you must have had possession of the property by Dec. 31, 2017, and work must commence within 180 days after the tax law was passed. No further information has been released on what the transition rules entail.

Tom Boccia, a Cleveland-based tax accountant, specializes in the historic tax credits and has worked alongside numerous Northeast Ohio projects. He said the changes to the tax credit could affect investors’ and developers’ interest in pursuing new historic rehabilitation projects.

“[The change] just means that the investor can’t get that credit all up front,” Boccia said, “so they’re not going to invest the same dollars to get credit over five years versus one year.”

Boccia said this has real economic cost to a developer, and could prevent future projects from completion.

“That delta between what they were getting before and what they’re getting now, it’s got to come from somewhere,” he said. “That could cause projects to not go forward.”

This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.




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A new report analyzes Pennsylvania's existing voucher programs, that divert public funds to private schools.

This comes on the heels of Gov. Josh Shapiro's plan to create a new voucher program for K-12 students.

Diana Polson - senior policy analyst with the Keystone Research Center - said last year's Commonwealth Court decision ruled that Pennsylvania's system of funding public education is unconstitutional, therefore the state doesn't have a dollar to waste on expanding existing private-school voucher programs or creating a new one.

"The basic-education funding commission estimated the state must pay $5.1 billion over the next seven years to make sure our public schools are funded equitably and adequately," said Polson. "Meanwhile, our report finds that existing private-school voucher programs are siphoning millions from taxpayers with little to show for it."

Supporters argue that vouchers let children leave under-performing public schools and get a better education at private schools.

Polson said Pennsylvania's voucher programs have no "meaningful educational or financial accountability," so they really have no way of knowing if these programs operate as intended or are beneficial to low-income or moderate-income students.

Polson said the report reveals that the programs have grown, and just this year they will cost the state nearly $500 million.

However, these voucher programs exclude students in rural areas, because there are few if any participating private schools in these regions.

Local public schools remain the primary option for most rural families.

"We also found that private schools receiving these funds are allowed to - and do - routinely discriminate against students for reasons including disabilities, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and more," said Polson. "These programs are also exclusive. They subsidize the state's most elite and expensive private schools as well as affluent families."

Polson said the report reveals that the Independent Fiscal Office estimated that the average EITC program scholarship was $2,314, while the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit was slightly less at around $2,000.

The cost of attending one of the top 25 private schools in Pennsylvania is around $41,000 per year. This means these schools are still out of reach for many low- and moderate-income families.

As Nebraska's 2024 legislative session draws to a close, family caregivers and their supporters are closely watching the progress of Legislative Bill 937, the Caregiver Tax Credit Act.

The bill provides eligible family caregivers up to $2,000 in tax credits for out-of-pocket expenses or up to $3,000 if the family member receiving care has dementia or is a veteran.

Jina Ragland, state director of advocacy and outreach for AARP Nebraska, said family caregivers are filling health care gaps in the state, especially with 15 Nebraska counties currently lacking a nursing home or assisted-living facility. Ragland argued the state's family caregivers need and deserve financial support.

"We really feel they're the backbone of the U.S. care system," Ragland emphasized. "Especially here in Nebraska because they're helping parents, they're helping loved ones live independently in their homes."

Family caregivers in the U.S. spend an average of $7,000 per year in out-of-pocket expenses. Employed caregivers sometimes lose wages when they have to take time off for caregiving responsibilities. Others retire early, losing both wages and retirement income.

The bill includes an income limit of $50,000 for individuals and $100,000 for married couples. Sen. Eliot Bostar, D-Lincoln, introduced the bill on behalf of AARP Nebraska. The legislature is expected to debate the measure for the second time this week.

Joyce Beck of Grand Island knows firsthand the emotional and financial strain of being a caregiver and losing a loved one. She retired early to care for her husband, who suffered from multiple sclerosis and cancer. In addition to significant out-of-pocket expenses, her Social Security and pension payments are both lower because she retired early.

Beck said she knows some Nebraskans face bigger financial struggles as a result of their caregiving.

"If there's any financial support that we can give, that would be so beneficial," Beck contended. "Some people don't have the option of a retirement account or a pension plan, so $2,000 would be huge for them. "

Ragland stressed family caregivers are helping Nebraska taxpayers as well. When their caregiving delays or prevents expensive-nursing home placement, it contributes to lowering the state's Medicaid costs.

"An important concept for people to understand is the value of those people who are just doing what they think is right," Ragland asserted. "The time and the money and the energy that they're providing as family caregivers to offset, again, the gaps in the care services that we have in our communities."

Six states currently offer a caregiver tax credit, and there is a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Congress to enact one at the federal level.

As California faces a $38 billion budget deficit, state lawmakers have identified $17 billion in potential cuts before the Legislature begins crunching the numbers later this week.

Initial plans include shifting some funds away from job training programs but the idea is getting some pushback. Advocates of the programs said at a time when skilled worker shortages plague essential sectors, investments in job training are needed.

Lisa Countryman-Quiroz, CEO of San Francisco-based Jewish Vocational Service, a nonprofit job training agency helping to match jobseekers with employers, said current economic conditions call for investment in programs like theirs.

"This is absolutely critical given the cost of living, given rising economic inequality in the state of California, the people who really want to be able to provide for their families, people who want to be able to advance in their careers," Countryman-Quiroz outlined. "We are helping people get there."

Democrats, who hold a supermajority, agreed last week to reduce the state's projected shortfall through spending cuts, delays, deferrals and cost-shifting. The budget debate could start as soon as Thursday.

Countryman-Quiroz said while job training can have high costs, workforce investments often pay for themselves by closing opportunity gaps in employment and creating economic revenue. She cited one program, known as the High Road Training Partnership.

"We see a really positive return on investment," Countryman-Quiroz pointed out. "Every dollar that JVS specifically has received in HRTP funds has resulted in $2 in wages for the jobseekers that we work with."

Jordan Hernandez, a graduate of the High Road Training Partnership, said he has successfully accessed both education and job opportunities.

"This program has given me a lot of confidence, especially with school things," Hernandez noted. "I never thought I'd be in school, so once I got into this program, I was very nervous, but they were very welcoming. They treated me with respect, and they understood where I was coming from."


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