First Ohio legislators proposed increasing the handouts for the entertainment industry through the special interest motion picture tax credit. Now, they’re proposing giving away more money for large sporting events. Any guess as to who would be footing that bill? That’s right, you, Ohio taxpayers.

In The Columbus Dispatch, Buckeye’s Quinn Beeson highlights the importance of occupational licensing reform to women who want to join the cosmetology profession. “In Ohio, an EMT who makes life and death decisions receives less training than a cosmetologist in whose hands you place your hair. This is ridiculous and illustrates why Ohio needs to expand opportunities for women and minorities and remove barriers to employment.”

Several states, including our neighbor Michigan, have recently proposed increasing their respective renewable energy mandates, which will end up costing consumers more money on their electric bills and slow renewable energy innovation in their states. In Ohio we have a chance to avoid these problems, help consumers save money on their energy bills, and encourage investors who have innovative ideas for renewable energy.

It’s not often that The Buckeye Institute agrees with Policy Matters Ohio, but when it comes to opposing the increase of the special interest motion picture tax credit, we do! Policymakers are proposing increasing this special interest film tax credit, currently capped at $40 million a year, to a whopping $100 million annually and broadening it to include some Broadway productions, claiming that this tax credit will incentivize Hollywood and Broadway producers to set up shop in Ohio. What it really does is waste your tax dollars on a multi-billion-dollar industry that doesn’t need handouts from Ohioans.

As the Ohio General Assembly prepares to consider the 2018 capital budget, The Buckeye Institute released Principled Spending: Using Ohio’s Capital Budget to Benefit Ohioans. The report outlines three principles policymakers should use in spending taxpayer dollars: constrain the growth of state government, eliminate corporate and special interest welfare, and focus spending on the core functions of state government. “By following these principles, Ohio policymakers will ensure they are wisely spending taxpayer dollars...”

Earlier this week, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that FirstEnergy does not have to refund its customers $43 million that the company overcharged from 2009-2011 to comply with Ohio’s Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). This ruling is further evidence of why it is critical for Ohio policymakers to repeal the RPS and allow retroactive refunds for improper charges, which is addressed in House Bill 247.

Talk of tax reform has been everywhere recently, with many different opinions being voiced as both the U.S. House (passed on November 16) and Senate (still being debated) have released their own versions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the past several weeks. Like many other attempts for political reform, this tax bill will see more changes and compromise before it is officially passed. With this in mind, let’s take a look at two main ways this initial proposal will impact you, your family, and your fellow Ohioans.

Last Tuesday saw a win for affordable electricity in the state of Ohio and for the rights of states with the repeal the Clean Power Plan. While many will decry this decision destroying the environment, smart policy and common sense tell us otherwise. There are better ways to protect the environment and Americans’ health without circumventing the constitution.

In the wake of several devastating natural disasters has come a greater appreciation for our ability to plug in wherever and whenever. As our focus is on those in need and without power in the wake of the recent hurricanes, as well as their families and countless volunteers, we can’t help but also think of our own families and communities here in Ohio. Although not faced with any major natural disasters recently, many Ohioans still worry about keeping the power on, as we face uncertain price hikes due to subsidies meant to ‘save’ several failing coal and nuclear power plants.

Ohio has two nuclear power plants. Both the Davis-Besse and the Perry nuclear plants are owned and operated by FirstEnergy. Both plants are failing. FirstEnergy’s latest proposal to save the plants, the ZEN program, calls for more government subsidies and higher costs for local electricity consumers. The better course would be to maintain free and competitive energy markets, even if it means that Ohio loses two unprofitable nuclear plants.