The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Energy Committee on Ohio House Bill 646, which will set policy to govern data center development in Ohio. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a senior research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, outlined how critical data centers are to Ohio’s economic development and the future of manufacturing, healthcare systems, university research, national defense, cybersecurity, communications, and financial markets.

The Buckeye Institute submitted testimony to the Ohio Senate Energy Committee on Ohio Senate Concurrent Resolution 20, which calls on Congress to expedite energy production. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a senior research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, noted that Ohio “continues to attract new advanced manufacturing firms, cloud computing companies, semiconductor plants, and digital storage centers” that help the United States “maintain its technological advantage.” As these industries “come online,” their “demand for energy is outpacing current supply.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Transportation Committee on the policy in Ohio House Bill 814, which sets up a process to end the burdensome E-Check program. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a senior research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, called for an end to E-Check in the affected counties—Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit—noting that the region has “demonstrate[ed] a 40 percent reduction in air pollutants over the past five years.”

The Buckeye Institute filed its merit brief in Sheldon v. Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE), calling on the Ohio Supreme Court to open Ohio’s courthouse doors to Ohioans fighting to end union wage theft. The Buckeye Institute was supported in its case by several nationally recognized public policy and legal groups that filed briefs in favor of Buckeye’s client, Matthew Sheldon.

The Buckeye Institute submitted testimony to the Ohio House Medicaid Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 795, and offered policy solutions to eliminate Medicaid fraud while maintaining and protecting this valuable program. In his testimony, Rea S. Hederman Jr., the vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, noted that protecting Medicaid’s “integrity is vital for delivering benefits while maintaining taxpayer trust,” but pointed out that “waste and fraud plague” the program.

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Public Safety Committee on the policy in Ohio House Bill 667. In his testimony, Alex M. Certo, a senior associate legal fellow at The Buckeye Institute, praised lawmakers for their more than a decade “commitment to prudent, commonsense public safety policies and reforms,” and urged them to reject changes that would undermine the success of T-CAP while doing little to protect Ohio’s communities from violent criminal offenders.

Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, commented on Ohio’s newly-introduced capital budget, which appropriates nearly $3.7 billion in state spending, saying, “In order to eliminate Ohio’s income tax altogether, though, the General Assembly will need to reduce state spending, including through its capital budget. Continuing with business as usual does not lay the foundation for Ohio to join the no-state-income-tax club.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Khatibi v. Lawson, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to tell California that medical professionals do not relinquish their First Amendment rights when the state licenses them. “The state of California has a right to ensure doctors and other medical professionals are qualified to do their jobs. It does not have the right to force these professionals to parrot the government’s position on controversial topics.”

The Buckeye Institute sent a demand letter to Cleveland calling for the city to end its numerous, unconstitutional, and discriminatory race-based contracting programs and requirements. The Buckeye Institute informed Cleveland that its programs and practices violate the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and several U.S. Supreme Court decisions. “Failure to end these discriminatory programs leaves the city open to legal action, and The Buckeye Institute stands ready to assist any individual or business denied access to any contracting opportunities based on race.”

The Buckeye Institute filed its amicus brief in Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to stop climate activists from using the courts to dictate America’s energy policy and impose a de facto nationwide carbon tax. “Failing to achieve a carbon tax through the normal legislative process, this case represents the latest effort of climate activists to implement their preferred policy—net-zero carbon emissions—through litigation rather than legislation.”