The Buckeye Institute filed public comments to Ohio’s Department of Medicaid supporting the state’s waiver application that, if approved, will allow the state to implement work and education requirements for healthy adult Ohioans younger than 55 who receive Medicaid benefits. “As anyone who has been unemployed knows, the longer you are out of the workforce, the harder it becomes to find a job. That is why Ohio must do everything it can to help people stay connected to the workforce and find good paying jobs.” 

Broadband internet access significantly drives economic growth, enhances educational opportunities, and promotes the public welfare. The Buckeye Institute supports policies that expand access to broadband, including recent amendments to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) pole attachment rules—and the PUCO should support them, too. The FCC’s revised pole attachment rules offer a practical solution to a persistent barrier to broadband expansion. By aligning state policies with the FCC rules, the PUCO can help bridge Ohio’s digital divide and provide all residents with access to high-speed broadband internet.

“If a commitment to access for all is the ABA’s and the law schools’ goal, then the standards should reflect a commitment to true access for all, not only members of the ABA’s preferred groups. The ABA and law schools can avoid further legal action by simply assuring access to the legal profession to all persons. Therefore, the Council should reconsider the proposed changes and adopt The Buckeye Institute’s proposed standard.”

The Buckeye Institute submitted testimony to the Ohio House Homeland Security Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 37, which would ensure that the suspension of driver’s licenses is related to driving offenses. Millions of Ohioans have their licenses suspended, many for offenses unrelated to dangerous driving. The serious ramifications of these suspensions include “difficulty obtaining and retaining meaningful employment, and [a smaller] pool of available workers for Ohio businesses...”

The Buckeye Institute submitted testimony to the Ohio House State and Local Government Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 198, which help formerly incarcerated Ohioans obtain the documents they need to secure stable housing and employment. By requiring Ohio’s departments of Rehabilitation and Correction and Youth Services to provide soon-to-be-released inmates with identification documents needed for employment, Senate Bill 198 “further promote[s] the state’s interest in a safer, more just society.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Government Oversight 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. In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, praised the bill’s sponsors, saying, “Occupational licensing rules may not make news headlines, but they do make a difference in the lives of workers looking to start or extend their careers.”

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.”