As we approach Tax Day, Rea S. Hederman Jr., The Buckeye Institute’s vice president of policy, has a piece on Crain’s Cleveland Business on Ohio’s “popular flat-rate income tax.” Hederman writes, “After a decade of solid tax reforms, including a popular flat-rate income tax for all Ohio taxpayers, April 15 will sting less this year than it did last year. And when the flat-tax rate drops to 2.75% next year—saving $1 billion over two years—it will sting even less.”

In a new policy report, The Buckeye Institute exposes how public nuisance legal theory is being used to attack energy companies and set U.S. energy policy through the courts. “The rash of public nuisance climate lawsuits spreading across the nation is a dangerous attempt to use the courts to force communities to adopt net-zero carbon-emissions policies. This effort to impose an ESG agenda through the courts, after failing to do so through Congress, would financially cripple energy companies and threaten the U.S. economy.”

The Buckeye Institute commented on the January 2026 jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “While Ohio’s private sector added 16,300 new jobs in January, Ohio’s unemployment rate improved at the expense of fewer workers in the job market. January’s report—which was delayed while the federal government recalculated its state employment data—shows that Ohio’s job market remains slow-growing, and macroeconomic headwinds, such as higher fuel prices, will continue to slow the job market.”

The Buckeye Institute reacted to Governor Mike DeWine’s 2026 State of the State speech, saying, “In his last State of the State, Governor DeWine highlighted several initiatives that will define his legacy, including the importance of childhood education and the science of reading.  But there is more that Governor DeWine and the General Assembly have accomplished over the past seven years, including the enactment of universal school choice, landmark energy reform, and a low flat income tax rate…”

A new report, Continuing Kentucky’s Tax Reform Efforts, by The Buckeye Institute, found that cutting the commonwealth’s personal income tax to three percent would create nearly $2 billion in economic growth and 7,000 new jobs. The Buckeye Institute partnered with Kentucky’s Bluegrass Institute to conduct the research. “To compete with its lower-tax neighbors and remain economically competitive, Kentucky must continue its pro-growth reforms.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Health Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 230, which, if adopted, will provide more access to healthcare by permitting pharmacists to test and treat patients for common illnesses. In adopting the policies in Senate Bill 230, Ohio would join 13 states that allow pharmacists to independently test and treat patients, and deliver “low-risk, quality patient care at an affordable cost.”

In The Hill, The Buckeye Institute praises federal efforts to hold states accountable for mismanagement and fraud in welfare spending—particularly Medicaid and SNAP—and applauds U.S. Sen. Jon Husted for his recently introduced Upward Mobility Act, which will combine “several federal assistance programs to make them more efficient and encourage program recipients to work more,” and  will “reduce the impact of ‘benefit cliffs’ — which can eliminate public assistance if a recipient earns too much.”

The Buckeye Institute commented on the December 2025 jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “With national job gains slowing, Ohio’s sluggish private-sector job growth is not surprising. And while the unemployment rate is strong by historical measures, more Ohioans need to be in the job market, and more jobs need to be created if Ohio, its communities, and its workers are going to thrive.”

The Buckeye Institute commented on the November 2025 jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “Despite the improved unemployment rate, November’s private-sector employment is 14,000 jobs below August’s peak, confirming that Ohio’s job market is weakening.” The federal government shutdown led to the cancellation of the October jobs report and a delay in the release of the November report. 

The Buckeye Institute commented on the September jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “While Ohio’s unemployment rate fell from five to 4.8 percent, the September jobs report showed that Ohio’s job market took a step backward, as the private sector lost 2,000 jobs and more workers left the job market, leading to a decline in the labor force participation rate to 62.4 percent, which tied the national average.”