The Buckeye Institute commented after Governor Mike DeWine signed a trio of bills—House Bill 186, House Bill 309, and House Bill 335—which will help lower property taxes on Ohioans. “The Buckeye Institute applauds the General Assembly and Governor DeWine for giving Ohio taxpayers the biggest property tax reform in half a century...These Buckeye Institute-recommended policies will help homeowners struggling with skyrocketing property tax bills.”

The Buckeye Institute filed its fourth amicus brief with the Ohio Supreme Court in Bowling v. DeWine, urging the court to affirm, once and for all, that Ohio’s Cooperation Statute does not require the governor to accept federal money every time it is offered. The statute is crystal clear in stating that nothing “precludes the director from ceasing to participate in any voluntary, optional, special, or emergency program offered by the federal government.”

In 2025, Ohio maintained its 35th place ranking in the Economic Freedom of North America 2025 (EFNA) report for the second year in a row. The report, released by The Buckeye Institute in partnership with Canada’s Fraser Institute, ranks all states and provinces in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, based on economic freedom, measured by government spending, taxation, and labor-market freedom. 

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.”

The Buckeye Institute delivered its oral argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury, calling upon the court to overturn the federal government’s unconstitutional ban on home distilling, arguing that the statute exceeds Congressional authority under Article I of the U.S. Constitution and violates the Tenth Amendment. “The constitutional rights of all Americans are before the court.”

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.

The Buckeye Institute filed its second amicus brief in Columbus City School District v. State of Ohio, rebutting the school districts’ claim that Ohio’s school choice program violates the equal protection clause of the Ohio Constitution. “The plaintiff’s underlying theme in its appeal is that money equals education and that more money means better education. This trope has long been refuted, both nationally and in Ohio.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Pung v. Isabella County, Michigan, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to reaffirm that home equity theft violates the constitutional rights of homeowners, something the court affirmed just two years ago in Tyler v. Hennepin County. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, Illinois Policy Institute, Mountain States Legal Foundation, and National Federation of Independent Business joined The Buckeye Institute in filing the brief. 

Buckeye v. IRS, The Buckeye Institute’s case challenging a tax law forcing nonprofit charities, including Buckeye itself, to hand over the private information of donors to the federal government every year is featured at Cleveland.com. “Ohio’s Buckeye Institute, a non-profit conservative think tank based in Columbus, says reporting donors in this way chills our First Amendment freedom of association, and it’s asking a federal court to stop the practice.”
 

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.”