The Buckeye Institute submitted written testimony to the Ohio House Insurance Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 505, urging lawmakers to adopt “sound, market-based reforms that will lower regulatory barriers to healthcare, encourage drug innovation, help maintain drug affordability, and improve patient health.” In his testimony, Rea S. Hederman Jr., vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, noted that some policies in House Bill 505 will “likely raise consumer prices at the pharmacy rather than lower them.” 

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 275, which will help Ohio meet its growing energy demands. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, noted that while “Senate Bill 275 does not address every energy issue the state faces,” it does “take several strides in the right direction.”

In a letter to Ohio Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy, The Buckeye Institute proposed changes to the Ohio Supreme Court’s practice rule 7.06 to extend the for filing amicus briefs supporting jurisdiction for a case before the court from no later than one day to no later than 30 days after the appellant’s deadline for filing a memorandum in support of jurisdiction. “The proposed amendment will benefit the court in deciding which cases are of public or great general interest to Ohioans.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Joint Committee on Property Tax Review and Reform and offered lawmakers several recommendations to ease the property tax burden on Ohioans. In the testimony, Buckeye pointed out that with 924 cities and villages, 1,308 townships, more than 600 school districts, 88 counties, and hundreds of other special taxing districts, Ohio has an “over-supply of local government reflects” that has “saddled Ohio with the 12th highest local tax burden as a percentage of income in the country.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 331, which ensures that village governments unable to provide core services to their residents are held accountable. The bill also makes it easier for village residents to vote on whether to dissolve their local government. The policies in House Bill 331 advance commonsense Buckeye Institute-championed reforms by establishing a “process to determine whether Ohio villages meet the needs of their taxpaying constituents.”

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.

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.