The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Workforce Development Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 268, which make it easier for those who have paid their debts to society to find employment. In the testimony, The Buckeye Institute praised lawmakers for creating the “now-successful” certificate of qualification for employment (CQE) program and noted that by helping the formerly incarcerated “obtain CQEs sooner, House Bill 268 will reduce the likelihood of recidivism by promoting stable employment.”

In a new policy report, Damaging Consequences, The Buckeye Institute models the economic impact that a federal carbon tax would have on the U.S. economy, job creation, tax collection, consumer spending, and business investment. Buckeye’s economic modeling revealed that an $800 billion annual carbon tax would cost every American $2,900 annually and devastate the U.S. economy, resulting in  $1.2 trillion in economic loss in 2034.

The Buckeye Institute prevailed in its efforts to overturn the federal government’s unconstitutional ban on home distilling. Friday’s blockbuster decision in McNutt v. U.S. Department of Justice from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found that the federal home-distilling ban is unconstitutional and exceeds Congress’s authority under both the taxing power and the Necessary and Proper Clause. “This decision is an important victory for individual liberty and the principle that the federal government is one of limited powers.”

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.”