Testimony & Public Comments
The Buckeye Institute: Policies in Ohio HB 344 Increase Property Tax Transparency
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: Ohio Should Ease Driver’s License Suspensions
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: Higher Education Reform Lays a Solid Foundation for Ohio’s Future
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: Eliminating Occupational Licenses Opens Doors to Opportunity
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: “People’s Budget” Undermines Public Accountability & Oversight
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.
The Buckeye Institute: Ohio Must Protect Public Dollars from Risky Spending
The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate General Government Committee on the policies in Senate Bill 158, which protects local taxpayers from unaccountable, unelected boards proposing risky spending projects. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, noted that the “so-called ‘People’s Budget’ proposal” on the November ballot in Cleveland would allow an unelected, unaccountable board of citizens to spend $14 million in taxpayer dollars “without public accountability or oversight.”
The Buckeye Institute: Proposed Fed Rule Would Increase Energy Prices, Risk U.S. Energy Security
As Americans face ever higher prices at the gas pump, The Buckeye Institute filed public comments detailing how a proposed U.S. Bureau of Land Management rule would lead to higher energy prices and risk U.S. energy security. “Americans are already paying record prices at the pump, and the Biden administration’s proposed rule will only increase prices further, making it harder for struggling Americans to make ends meet.”
The Buckeye Institute: Ohio Should Eliminate the Tax Penalty for Marriage
The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Ways and Means Committee on the policies in House Bill 199, which eliminates the marriage penalty tax in Ohio’s tax code. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, noted that although Ohio needs “comprehensive tax and spending reform,” House Bill 199 corrects a problem in Ohio’s tax code that results in married couples often paying “more in taxes than they would if they filed separately.”
In Public Comments, The Buckeye Institute Urges Ohio to Allow Qualified Part-Time Lawyers to Practice Law
The Buckeye Institute filed public comments with the Ohio Supreme Court urging the court to adopt the proposed amendments and admit qualified part-time attorneys—practicing in other jurisdictions—to the Ohio Bar without needless regulatory hardships. “By removing needless regulatory restriction, Ohio would encourage part-time attorneys to move to the Buckeye State, increasing the availability and affordability of legal services to those in need.”
The Buckeye Institute-Led Coalition Files Public Comments, Demonstrates Failings of Proposed EPA Rule
The Buckeye Institute led a coalition of free-market organizations in filing public comments on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule for new and existing fossil fuel-fired power plants. The Frontier Institute in Montana, Caesar Rodney Institute in Delaware, John Locke Foundation in North Carolina, and Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan joined Buckeye in filing the comments. The proposed rule could exacerbate the impending energy security and reliability crisis.