Buckeye Reporter

The Buckeye Institute has released its "Keep, Cut, Change" recommendations as Ohio's Budget Conference Committee begins deliberations on the state's biennial budget. This document provides guidance on which proposals from the governor, House, or Senate should be adopted, modified, or discarded.

Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, stated: “As Ohio’s lawmakers hammer out differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget, The Buckeye Institute offers Keep, Cut, Change, a handy roadmap to help guide lawmakers in their budget negotiations.” He emphasized that adopting these recommendations could lead to effective policy outcomes benefiting all Ohioans.

The recommendations suggest keeping several Senate proposals such as pro-growth tax reform and property tax reforms. However, they advise cutting the creation of new taxing authorities for townships from the Senate version due to concerns about complicating local government structures.

On Medicaid provisions, the institute recommends keeping elements from both House and Senate versions. It supports maintaining Medicaid accountability provisions from the House while backing Group VIII eligibility redetermination and state-directed payments from the Senate version.

In education funding matters, The Buckeye Institute suggests keeping many of the governor's proposals. These include school funding changes that eliminate guarantees in funding formulas and equitable funding for public charter schools. They also propose changing aid allocations to include disadvantaged students receiving scholarships.

Regarding infrastructure projects like Cleveland Browns stadium funding, there is advice to either cut or adopt protections found in the Senate version against taxpayer burdens.

Overall, The Buckeye Institute aims to influence legislative decisions with its detailed analysis of budget components as lawmakers work towards finalizing Ohio's financial plan for upcoming years.