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.”

At The Center Square, The Buckeye Institute looks at the “elegant solution to one of Ohio’s thornier property tax problems” that the Ohio House of Representatives drafted and the General Assembly sent to Governor DeWine. The question: How to cut property taxes without hurting local public schools. The answer: Reduce the state’s annual sales tax holiday—a counterproductive tax gimmick—and use those funds to lower property taxes.

As Ohio lawmakers look for solutions to fix a broken 340B drug pricing program, The Buckeye Institute released a new policy brief—The 340B Fix: Federal Bipartisan Effort Best Path to Reform—outlining how the program came to neglect its well-intended goals and urged Ohio policymakers to encourage federal reforms percolating in Washington. “The 340B program requires federal reforms to fix the broken program, and Ohio leaders should encourage that effort.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Health Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 52, which, if adopted, will help ease Ohio’s care provider shortage. House Bill 52, Buckeye points out, will “ease the pain of some care provider shortages by allowing certified registered nurse anesthesiologists (CRNA) to practice to the full extent of their medical training and collaborate with physicians.” 

The Buckeye Institute submitted written testimony to the Ohio House Insurance Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 192, urging lawmakers to adopt “sound, market-based reforms that will lower regulatory barriers to healthcare, encourage drug innovation, help maintain drug affordability, and improve patient health.” Some policies in House Bill 192, which imposes a minimum government-mandated dispensing fee on Ohio pharmacies, will “likely raise consumer prices at the pharmacy rather than lower them.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Health Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 198, which should be tailored narrowly to make the opaque 340B drug pricing program more transparent. Rea S. Hederman, vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, noted that Senate Bill 198 “makes a noble effort to help Ohio’s community health centers,” and urged the committee to ensure “that any action Ohio takes does not undermine program sustainability or raise costs.”

In The Washington Times, The Buckeye Institute and Americans for Prosperity-Ohio put a spotlight on Ohio’s recent energy policy reforms as a standard for policymakers nationwide. “Ohio’s sweeping energy policy reforms have taken a bold, market-based turn that state and federal policymakers would be wise to follow. Evolving from Rust Belt factories to a high-tech haven, Ohio has seen the technological future, and it needs energy — reliable, affordable energy — and a lot of it.”

The Buckeye Institute commented on the newly released jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying,  “In August, Ohio’s unemployment rate remained flat at five percent, while the labor force participation rate declined slightly to 62.5 percent as more Ohioans left the workforce. This continues a trend where the national job market—which also weakened in August—remains stronger than Ohio’s… The silver lining is that the private sector continues to add jobs in Ohio, averaging 6,000 new jobs a month.”

“Ohio workers and families have much to celebrate,” writes The Buckeye Institute in Crain’s Cleveland Business. “Despite the state and national unemployment rate climbing, the state’s economy continues to rise and overcome broader challenges by embracing new technologies and attracting new and growing firms. Policymakers have pursued pro-growth energy and tax reforms that make Ohio more attractive to employers and more rewarding to employees. More work remains to be done, but Ohio is still at the heart of it all.”
 

The Buckeye Institute commented on the newly released jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “In a concerning sign, Ohio’s unemployment rate increased to five percent in July, and the labor force participation rate fell to 62.6 percent, indicating that Ohioans looking for work are not finding jobs. While the national job market is still performing better than Ohio’s, July’s national jobs report also saw a climbing unemployment rate and falling labor force participation rate.”