The Buckeye Institute commented on the September jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “While Ohio’s unemployment rate fell from five to 4.8 percent, the September jobs report showed that Ohio’s job market took a step backward, as the private sector lost 2,000 jobs and more workers left the job market, leading to a decline in the labor force participation rate to 62.4 percent, which tied the national average.”

The Buckeye Institute delivered its oral argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury, calling upon the court to overturn the federal government’s unconstitutional ban on home distilling, arguing that the statute exceeds Congressional authority under Article I of the U.S. Constitution and violates the Tenth Amendment. “The constitutional rights of all Americans are before the court.”

At The Center Square, The Buckeye Institute looks at the “elegant solution to one of Ohio’s thornier property tax problems” that the Ohio House of Representatives drafted and the General Assembly sent to Governor DeWine. The question: How to cut property taxes without hurting local public schools. The answer: Reduce the state’s annual sales tax holiday—a counterproductive tax gimmick—and use those funds to lower property taxes.

The Buckeye Institute filed its second amicus brief in Columbus City School District v. State of Ohio, rebutting the school districts’ claim that Ohio’s school choice program violates the equal protection clause of the Ohio Constitution. “The plaintiff’s underlying theme in its appeal is that money equals education and that more money means better education. This trope has long been refuted, both nationally and in Ohio.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Pung v. Isabella County, Michigan, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to reaffirm that home equity theft violates the constitutional rights of homeowners, something the court affirmed just two years ago in Tyler v. Hennepin County. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, Illinois Policy Institute, Mountain States Legal Foundation, and National Federation of Independent Business joined The Buckeye Institute in filing the brief. 

Buckeye v. IRS, The Buckeye Institute’s case challenging a tax law forcing nonprofit charities, including Buckeye itself, to hand over the private information of donors to the federal government every year is featured at Cleveland.com. “Ohio’s Buckeye Institute, a non-profit conservative think tank based in Columbus, says reporting donors in this way chills our First Amendment freedom of association, and it’s asking a federal court to stop the practice.”
 

As Ohio lawmakers look for solutions to fix a broken 340B drug pricing program, The Buckeye Institute released a new policy brief—The 340B Fix: Federal Bipartisan Effort Best Path to Reform—outlining how the program came to neglect its well-intended goals and urged Ohio policymakers to encourage federal reforms percolating in Washington. “The 340B program requires federal reforms to fix the broken program, and Ohio leaders should encourage that effort.”

An unprecedented 250 organizations, business groups, trade associations, public interest law firms, state attorneys general, and individuals from across the political spectrum filed amicus briefs supporting The Buckeye Institute’s position in Buckeye v. IRS. The Buckeye Institute is challenging a tax law forcing nonprofit charities, including Buckeye itself, to hand over the private information of donors to the federal government every year.

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Wolford v. Lopez, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to tell Hawaii it cannot restrict constitutional rights the government does not like. An Ohio law banning cars with bumper stickers from That School Up North from filling up at Ohio gas stations during the week of The Game unless the station posts a sign explicitly permitting ❌ichigan fans, while understandable during game week, is an obvious violation of constitutional rights. And Hawaii’s law is no less a violation.

In The Center Square, The Buckeye Institute praises policy proposals designed to make Ohio a leader in the AI race. “By providing regulatory clarity to technology firms and advanced industries, the Ohio Right to Compute Act will help attract skilled workers, retain talented graduates, leverage the state’s energy advantages, and mitigate investor risk in artificial intelligence. The state’s legislative message to burgeoning tech companies should be clear: Ohio is ready for them to build here, grow here, and succeed here.”