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.”

In a joint Columbus Dispatch opinion editorial, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and The Buckeye Institute president and CEO Robert Alt write that the recent podcast-funding scandal demonstrates why JobsOhio needs external accountability, writing, “JobsOhio’s spending, results, successes and failures, should be audited and measured regularly, reliably, transparently, independently and publicly for the benefit of all Ohioans.”

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.”

Columbus, OH – David C. Tryon, director of litigation at The Buckeye Institute, issued a statement reacting to the Ohio Supreme Court’s ruling on a procedural question in Doe v. Columbus. The court left in place the preliminary injunction prohibiting the city of Columbus from enforcing its unconstitutional ban on certain firearm magazines, while allowing the city to immediately appeal the trial court’s preliminary injunction.
 

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate General Government Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 90, which will help businesses bring new products to market safely. “Senate Bill 90 adopts a universal regulatory sandbox to help Ohio businesses and regulators work together to bring products to market safely and with fewer bureaucratic hurdles,” and the bill’s policies will benefit “entrepreneurs, business startups, and consumers by encouraging teamwork between businesses and state regulators.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate General Government Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 268, which offer well-targeted, commonsense reforms to bring greater transparency to Ohio’s administrative rulemaking process. The Buckeye Institute noted that Ohio has a “robust regulatory oversight structure, with internal checks and balances designed to keep bureaucratic burdens in check,” and cautioned state officials to “remain vigilant to ensure that new regulatory provisions and model rules are drafted in the light of day.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Pheasant v. United States, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to revive the nondelegation doctrine and tell Congress it cannot abdicate its lawmaking responsibilities—particularly its role in creating criminal statutes—to the executive branch. “When Congress allows executive agencies to create rules and regulations with the effect of laws, Congress has abdicated the responsibility of lawmaking.”

The Buckeye Institute joined the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives, the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy, and the Competitive Enterprise Institute in filing a public comment with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission urging the commission to reject PJM Interconnection’s one-size-fits-all energy pricing proposal.

In a new policy memo, The Buckeye Institute cautioned lawmakers to preserve fiscal flexibility in this year’s capital budget so the state can address long-term funding obligations and federal cost-shifting for social welfare programs like SNAP and Medicaid. The memo echoed concerns raised in a piece in The Hill, which highlighted the uncertainty states face regarding “federal cost-sharing changes for SNAP and stricter federal scrutiny of welfare spending and fraud, and rising long-term care and Medicaid obligations.”