The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Public Safety Committee on the policy in Ohio House Bill 667. In his testimony, Alex M. Certo, a senior associate legal fellow at The Buckeye Institute, praised lawmakers for their more than a decade “commitment to prudent, commonsense public safety policies and reforms,” and urged them to reject changes that would undermine the success of T-CAP while doing little to protect Ohio’s communities from violent criminal offenders.

The Buckeye Institute submitted written testimony to the Ohio House Energy Committee on Ohio House Concurrent Resolution 35, which calls on Congress to expedite energy production. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a senior research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, applauded lawmakers for adopting reforms championed by The Buckeye Institute and called House Concurrent Resolution 35 “the logical next step” to “modernize and streamline federal regulatory policies” and expedite energy production across the country to meet growing demand.

The Buckeye Institute submitted written testimony to the Ohio House Finance Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 413, which will shine a light on the work of local government. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, noted that local governments and jurisdictions are already required to make tax collection and spending information available upon taxpayer request. House Bill 413 simply “streamlines that process.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Finance Committee on the policy in Ohio House Bill 645, which, if adopted, would make state government better stewards of Ohio’s taxpayer dollars and make state government more accountable to voters by implementing zero-based budgeting, which forces government officials to justify the use of every taxpayer dollar rather than simply maintaining—or increasing—government spending on programs that may have outlived their usefulness.

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.”

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 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.

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Development Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 161, which, if adopted, will impose new taxes on homeowners who rent their homes for short-term stays. House Bill 161, which extends Ohio’s lodging tax to short-term rentals, is a “misguided move that undermines private property rights and costs families supplemental income when they need it most.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Local Government Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 361, which, if adopted, will cut government red tape that slows construction projects, limits housing supply, and increases the cost of a home. By requiring local building departments to complete building plan reviews and inspections within 30 days of a request, House Bill 361 “creates a transparent and fair expectation for government timeliness.”