Columbus, OH – The Buckeye Institute commented after the Ohio Senate unveiled its version of House Bill 33, Ohio’s biennial budget.  

Senate’s School Choice and Education Proposals

“The Senate budget builds on the proposals of Governor DeWine and the House of Representatives and is a significant step toward putting students first,” said Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute. “The Senate’s bold plan will effectively make vouchers universal and improve funding for charter schools. If passed, this policy will help every child in every family in every community of Ohio. Additionally, the Senate wisely resisted the House proposal to eliminate the third-grade reading guarantee, which will ensure students have the reading skills they need as they advance to higher grades.”

Senate’s Tax Reform Proposals

“There is much to celebrate in the Ohio Senate’s tax package. By using part of Ohio’s robust budget surplus to lower all tax rates and eliminate two tax brackets—moving Ohio closer to a flat tax—and by reducing the commercial activities tax—an idea championed by The Buckeye Institute—the Ohio Senate has wisely proposed to enact tax policy that will promote economic growth and encourage more investment in the Buckeye state,” said Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute. “It is unfortunate that the Senate has adopted the House proposal to remove taxpayer protections and no longer index tax brackets to inflation. A better approach would be to eliminate unnecessary spending and use those savings to provide greater tax relief to Ohioans.” 

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