In a new policy memo, Classroom Space for Every Student in Every Family in Every Community, The Buckeye Institute offers lawmakers additional solutions to address the growing need for classroom space in private and charter schools, given the success of the Ohio EdChoice program and the increasing demand for vouchers. In this new memo, Buckeye builds on an earlier recommendation and urges lawmakers to “authorize the state treasurer to make linked deposit programs and a loan guarantee program available to non-district schools.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Community Revitalization Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 50, which will help formerly incarcerated Ohioans reintegrate into society while keeping our communities safe. Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, applauded lawmakers for looking for ways to help formerly incarcerated people “secure stable housing in addition to stable employment.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Small Business and Economic Opportunity Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 198, which help soon-to-be-released individuals obtain the documents they will need to secure stable housing and employment after incarceration. Senate Bill 198 “builds upon Ohio’s successful certificate of qualification for employment program, … and will further promote the state’s interest in a safer, more just society.”

In a new policy memo, Focus Higher Ed Capital Budget Spending on Building a 21st Century Workforce, The Buckeye Institute recommends that capital budget requests from public universities only be granted for the “construction, maintenance, demolition, and repurposing of buildings needed for educating students on public campuses.” With growing student debt, rising tuition, and stagnant and declining enrollment, legislators should grant capital requests to help right-size campuses and meet the “education needs of the 21st century.” 
 

The Buckeye Institute released a new policy brief, Making the Grade: Ohio’s Success Cutting Regulations, which reviews and grades how Ohio’s state agencies fared in cutting regulations. The Buckeye Institute analysis gives state agencies a B in complying with the Ohio Senate Bill 9, which requires every state agency to cut regulations by 10 percent by June 30, 2023, with the ultimate goal of cutting regulations by 30 percent by June 30, 2025.

The Buckeye Institute released a new policy brief, Brewing Freedom: Ensuring the Freedom to Contract for Ohio’s Craft Brewers, urging Ohio lawmakers to free Ohio’s small craft brewers from the state’s anti-competitive alcohol franchise law that “disproportionately empowers distributors to the detriment of small craft brewers.” “Ohio’s award-winning craft beer industry is suffering from the anti-competitive effects of the state’s 50-year-old alcohol franchise law.”

In The Columbus Dispatch, The Buckeye Institute outlines how much taxpayer dollars Ohio spends on its public school districts and calls on lawmakers to make a greater commitment to other education providers. “Ohio does very well by its public school districts. Now, it needs to do well by other education providers and their students too.”

The Buckeye Institute reacted to votes in the Ohio House of Representatives on Ohio House Bill 2—spending the One-Time Strategic Community Investment Fund—and Ohio House Bill 238, reducing Ohio’s occupational licensing burdens.

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Ways and Means Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 344, which will increase property tax transparency. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, noted that the policies in House Bill 344 “can help alleviate some of the local taxpayer frustration” by eliminating the ability of local governments to place replacement levies on the ballot.

In a new policy memo, A Transformational Investment: Use Ohio’s Capital Budget to Increase Classroom Space, The Buckeye Institute urges Ohio lawmakers to “create a permanent revolving loan fund to increase student capacity at schools across Ohio—a vital need given the Ohio EdChoice program’s success and recent expansion.” Using the One-Time Strategic Community Investments Fund to “improve the state’s education infrastructure” will make “transformational investments in education.”