In The Columbus Dispatch, Buckeye's Andrew Geisler urges Ohio lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 3, writing, “For too long, Ohio has relied mistakenly on the criminal corrections system to house and care for those struggling with drug addiction — spending on average $26,000 per inmate, per year. The state imposes overly broad criminal sanctions that prove far less effective at curbing drug abuse and low-level drug crime recidivism than facilitating targeted treatment programs clinically designed to rehabilitate drug users and nonviolent offenders. Senate Bill 3 corrects that mistake.”

Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center at The Buckeye Institute and vice president of policy, commented on newly released employment data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “Ohio’s labor market roared back to life in October with the unemployment rate falling nearly three points to 5.6 percent and the labor force participation rate jumping more than a point to 62.7 percent—which exceeds the national participation rate of 61.7 percent.”

Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, lent his expertise and testified before the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee in favor of Senate Bill 3, which would reform Ohio’s drug sentencing laws to better serve justice and treat those suffering from addiction by applying sensible best practices. In his testimony, Alt urged to adopt Senate Bill 3 saying that Senate Bill 3 would “enhance Ohio’s standing as a national leader in criminal justice reform and ensure our criminal justice system treats all Ohioans fairly.”
 

At The Center Square, Buckeye’s James Woodward demonstrates why it is time for Ohio to permanently expand access to telehealth, which is included in House Bill 679. Woodward writes, “The Ohio House has passed important, needed legislation that will benefit the state’s patients and health care systems. The Senate should do likewise and avoid adding provisions that might hobble telehealth’s value and effectiveness. Ohio is on the verge of taking the national lead in smart telehealth policy and making medical care safer and more convenient for all. Now is the time.”

In a new policy memo, Senate Bill 3: Myth vs. Reality, The Buckeye Institute separates fact from fiction surrounding the debate over the policies in Senate Bill 3, which would comprehensively reform Ohio’s drug sentencing laws. Author Andrew Geisler writes, “The commonsense reforms in Senate Bill 3 do not create the problems and concerns that the myth suggests. And reclassifying low-level drug possession crimes from felonies to misdemeanors will better ensure that those suffering from addiction get the treatment they need instead of a prison sentence.”

Buckeye’s Greg Lawson looks at one priority for Ohio’s lame-duck session—universal occupational licensing recognition, writing, “The Ohio General Assembly has returned to Columbus for its lame-duck legislative session. And with visions of legacies dancing in legislators’ heads, now is the right time for lawmakers to adopt universal occupational licensing recognition and reduce or eliminate existing licensing restrictions that make it harder for people to start new careers.”

Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, issued the following statement on the possibility of a second shutdown of businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying, “The Buckeye Institute appreciates Governor DeWine’s genuine concern for the safety of all Ohioans; however, a second shutdown is the wrong cure for this disease. The remedy for Ohio is moral suasion not criminal sanctions.”

On Tuesday, The Buckeye Institute, Americans for Prosperity-Ohio, and the Goldwater Institute jointly sent an open letter to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and members of the Ohio General Assembly urging the quick adoption of universal occupational licensing recognition. These three leading voices on universal occupational licensing recognition for Ohio together urged lawmakers to “build upon earlier reforms and make it easier for licensed workers in every profession to move to the Buckeye State where they can earn a living here in their chosen professions.”

Buckeye’s Greg R. Lawson issued a statement on the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision in Athens v. McClain, saying, “Today’s ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court will allow plumbers, electricians, and other Ohioans who work for themselves or own small businesses to file their local income taxes in one place—saving them time and money, and cutting unnecessary government bureaucracy.”
 

In The Blade, Buckeye’s James Woodward looks at the need to expand telehealth, writing, “The Blade’s recent editorial on telehealth…gets it right. Telemedicine will be ‘a critical component in the future of health care.’… As we have witnessed throughout the pandemic, there is now widespread agreement among patients, care providers, and lawmakers that telehealth offers patients safe, effective, and efficient options in health care, and the time has come to adjust the rules that govern it.”