The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Community Revitalization Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 50, which will help formerly incarcerated Ohioans reintegrate into society while keeping our communities safe. Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, applauded lawmakers for looking for ways to help formerly incarcerated people “secure stable housing in addition to stable employment.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Small Business and Economic Opportunity Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 198, which help soon-to-be-released individuals obtain the documents they will need to secure stable housing and employment after incarceration. Senate Bill 198 “builds upon Ohio’s successful certificate of qualification for employment program, … and will further promote the state’s interest in a safer, more just society.”

As an independent research and educational institution advancing free-market public policies in the states, The Buckeye Institute works to reform regulatory codes and cut burdensome red tape. In keeping with this practice, Buckeye submitted public comments to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners on its current proposal to increase the risk charge for residuals. Buckeye encouraged the NAIC to temporarily pause its proposal for one year to solicit further input and collect additional data on the risk-profile of residuals.

In a new policy memo, Focus Higher Ed Capital Budget Spending on Building a 21st Century Workforce, The Buckeye Institute recommends that capital budget requests from public universities only be granted for the “construction, maintenance, demolition, and repurposing of buildings needed for educating students on public campuses.” With growing student debt, rising tuition, and stagnant and declining enrollment, legislators should grant capital requests to help right-size campuses and meet the “education needs of the 21st century.” 
 

Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust on the inherent problems when government agencies adjudicate their own cases. In his testimony, Alt notes that agency adjudication presents “unique threats to civil liberties and the traditional protections afforded to defendants” in federal courts.

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Ways and Means Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 344, which will increase property tax transparency. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, noted that the policies in House Bill 344 “can help alleviate some of the local taxpayer frustration” by eliminating the ability of local governments to place replacement levies on the ballot.

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 37, which would ensure that the suspension of driver’s licenses is related to driving offenses. These policies are the “kinds of criminal justice reform that The Buckeye Institute has championed for more than a decade” and “target dangerous offenses involving operating motor vehicles, [such as] driving under the influence, and vehicular homicide.”

The Buckeye Institute submitted written testimony to the Ohio House Higher Education Committee on policies in Ohio Senate Bill 83, which, if adopted, would lay a solid foundation for Ohio’s future. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, praised America’s higher education system, pointing out that it “has long been the envy of the world,” and noted policies in Senate Bill 83 that could “help address some of the problems plaguing Ohio’s higher education system.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House State and Local Government Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 238, which would make it easier for Ohioans to earn a living by eliminating or reducing occupational licensing requirements. “Occupational licensing rules may not make political headlines, but they do make a difference in the lives of workers looking to start or extend their careers.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee on the policies in Senate Bill 158, which prohibits so-called “people’s budgets,” which undermine public accountability and oversight of government spending. Buckeye detailed several problems with Cleveland’s “People’s Budget” and why the state must act to protect taxpayers across the states from similar proposals.