The Buckeye Institute submitted written testimony to the Ohio Senate Energy Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 15, which, if adopted, would help ensure a healthy supply of affordable, reliable energy to meet growing demand. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, noted that the policies in the bill adhere to the “sound energy policies recommended [] by The Buckeye Institute and Americans for Prosperity.”

Ohio’s Eighth District Court of Appeals handed The Buckeye Institute and its clients a victory in Wos v. Cleveland, ruling that the lower court erred in dismissing the case. The appeals court ordered the case returned to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas for further proceedings consistent with the appeals court’s ruling. “While this case is not over, today’s ruling is good news for The Buckeye Institute’s clients and taxpayers in Cleveland.”

The Buckeye Institute, joined by the Pelican Institute, filed an amicus brief in Crowe v. Oregon State Bar, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the First Amendment rights of lawyers and end laws that force attorneys to join state-sponsored bar associations that lobby on inherently political and ideological issues. “When bar associations engage in advocacy and speak on matters of public concern, they are engaging in inherently political speech.”

The Buckeye Institute filed its fourth lawsuit against the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) for its refusal to stop taking money out of the paychecks of public employees who are not members of the government unions. The Buckeye Institute filed Vanderveer v. OAPSE in the Fulton County Court of Common Pleas on behalf of Katrina Vanderveer. “In yet another case, the Ohio Association of Public School Employees has refused to stop taking ‘dues’ out of our client’s paycheck.” 

The Buckeye Institute commented on the newly released jobs report, saying, “In March, Ohio’s unemployment rate continued to climb to 4.8 percent, up from 4.7 percent. At the same time, the national unemployment rate increased from 4.1 to 4.2 percent. However, the labor force participation rate increased again to 62.6 percent, the highest rate in six months, outpacing the national average of 62.5 percent.”

In a new policy brief, Advancing Healthcare Technology, The Buckeye Institute urges lawmakers to create a “regulatory sandbox” so that AI innovators can develop new medical technologies in a flexible, safe regulatory environment that lowers costs and cuts red tape. An AI healthcare sandbox “will allow healthcare providers, AI developers, and policymakers to collaborate and responsibly test novel technologies related to drug development, medical imaging, disease diagnosis, gene therapy, medical research, and health data management...” 

The Buckeye Institute commented after the Ohio House passed House Bill 96—Ohio’s biennial budget, which now goes to the Ohio Senate for consideration. “The budget passed by the Ohio House includes several good policies that prioritize the needs of Ohio’s K-12 students, improve Ohio’s higher education system, and put reasonable guardrails on the state’s ever-growing Medicaid program. However, this budget assumes a rosy financial picture that is not certain.”
 

The Buckeye Institute filed public comments with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services supporting Ohio’s 1115 Medicaid Work and Community Engagement Waiver application that, if approved, will allow the state to implement work and education requirements for healthy adult Ohioans younger than 55 who receive Medicaid benefits. “Medicaid work and education requirements, which only apply to healthy working-age adults, help people stay connected to the workforce and find good paying jobs.”

The Buckeye Institute filed its appeal in Flannery v. Eckenwiler with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on behalf of Eric Flannery, the owner of The Big Board, a neighborhood bar and grill located in our nation’s capital. Flannery v. Eckenwiler charges that members of the 6C Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) conspired to protest the renewal of The Big Board’s liquor license to punish Mr. Flannery because he spoke out against D.C.’s pandemic-era shutdown orders.
 

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Finance Committee on the policies in Ohio Substitute House Bill 96—Ohio’s biennial budget. In the testimony, The Buckeye Institute noted that the House version of the state budget “offers a mixed bag of belt-tightening, policy improvements, and missed opportunities...” House Bill 96, unfortunately, “fails to address tax expenditures or close tax loopholes…and adds a series of new earmarks.”