The Buckeye Institute, along with other prominent national scholars and think tanks, filed an amicus brief on Tuesday in Salgado v. the United States urging the United States Supreme Court to hold the government accountable under the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act when it unjustly seizes private property.
A new report, A Better Path Forward for Iowa Tax Reform, released Monday by The Buckeye Institute’s Economic Research Center, found that if Iowa policymakers implemented additional tax reforms the state could experience an additional $610 million in economic growth and taxpayers could save nearly $1,250 annually. The research was conducted in partnership with Tax Education Foundation Iowa, which conducts pro-taxpayer education and research and informs Iowans about the impacts of taxes and spending, and the principles of limited government.
The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief on Monday in Seila Law v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in the Supreme Court of the United States. The case raises important questions about the power of the unelected administrative state and the blatantly unconstitutional structure of the CFPB.
Ohio ranks an unimpressive 37th out of all 50 states in this year’s Economic Freedom of North America report, released by the Economic Research Center at The Buckeye Institute in partnership with Canada’s Fraser Institute. The report ranks every state and province in North America based on economic freedom, as measured by government spending, taxation, and labor market restrictions.
Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, issued a statement after the Ohio House voted to pass Senate Bill 7, which, once signed into law, will remove barriers to employment for military spouses. The Ohio Senate voted to pass the bill on Wednesday, December 11. The bill now goes to Governor Mike DeWine for signature.
Greg R. Lawson, research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, submitted testimony to the Ohio Senate General Government and Agency Review Committee on the policies in House Bill 76, which would make Ohio’s ballot language easier for voters to understand by using clear and concise language. In his testimony, Lawson pointed out that “[c]larity and transparency will reinforce local accountability and, more importantly, help ensure that the votes that are cast actually reflect the true and informed will of the electorate.”
Greg R. Lawson, research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, submitted testimony to the Ohio Senate Insurance and Financial Institutions Committee on the policies in Senate Bill 112, which clarifies restrictions on debt settlement companies that could make it more difficult for Ohioans to get out of debt. In his testimony, Lawson noted that “Senate Bill 112 helps clarify Ohio’s rules…and can bring some needed relief to debt settlement companies and the constituents that may need them.”
Daniel J. Dew, legal fellow with The Buckeye Institute’s Legal Center, testified Tuesday before the Ohio House Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Criminal Sentencing on policies that will increase public safety and reduce the state’s prison population. In his testimony, Dew noted the strides Ohio has made to reform its criminal justice system and he discussed the need for Ohio to reform its drug sentencing laws and outlined how expanding access to “earned credit” would enhance public safety.
Greg R. Lawson, research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, submitted written testimony to the Ohio House Transportation and Public Safety Committee on the policies in House Bill 372, which would save taxpayers time and money by renewing driver’s license and identification cards every eight years rather than every four. In his testimony, Lawson noted that the reprieve on renewing licenses and ID cards, Lawson wrote, “will shorten lines and decrease wait time for tens of thousands of Ohioans,” and “lifts a small, but meaningful government burden, and helps give real time and money back to Ohio workers.”
On Monday, The Buckeye Institute filed public comments with the IRS in support of a proposed rule change that would no longer require 501(C)(4) organizations to disclose donor lists to the government. In his comments, Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, noted the chilling effect donor disclosure can have on the freedom of association and wrote of Buckeye’s firsthand experience when the Institute received an audit notice from the IRS shortly after the Ohio General Assembly relied upon Buckeye’s arguments in rejecting Medicaid expansion in 2013.
