COLUMBUS, Ohio — There is movement on both of the resolutions filed by House Democrats and Republicans to expel former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, R-Glenford, from office.
What You Need To Know
- Two resolutions to expel former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder have been introduced
- One resolution was introduced by republicans and another by democrats
- Both resolutions will now be considered by the House Rules and Reference Committee
Both resolutions will now be considered by the House Rules and Reference Committee beginning Thursday morning.
Householder is accused of running a $61 million bribery scheme to pass and defend House Bill 6, the taxpayer-funded bailout of two nuclear power plants in Ohio, and maneuvering to get himself elected speaker in the process. With each document moving forward in the committee process, lawmakers are now one step closer to a potential vote on the House floor.
The committee, where all bills and resolutions start and end, decided to hold onto the resolutions instead of sending them off to a different committee.
Representatives Jeffrey Crossman, D-Parma, and Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, who were two of the four lawmakers to introduce separate resolutions are glad the process is getting going.
“We would prefer to get this on the floor as soon as possible,” said Crossman. “If the speaker’s preference is to hear some committee testimony, I’m fine with that. If you want to provide an opportunity for Representative Householder to have his say in committee, I think that’s fair. But at the end of the day, we think that the conduct that’s been laid out both in the resolution and also in the 81-page indictment is sufficient to give us enough to work with in terms of justifying an expulsion resolution such as we brought.”
Stewart is ready to see where the resolutions go moving forward.
“A week ago, we didn’t have a commitment to have a hearing on resolution,” said Stewart. “Now we do. So we’re sort of taking it as it comes and I would expect that the outcome of that hearing may give us a better picture as to where the resolution is likely to go from there.”
House Speaker Robert Cupp, R-Lima, has repeatedly said Householder should resign, but now, Cupp has a couple different ways he can go about this expulsion process. Yet, there is no indication which way he might proceed.
Lawmakers on both sides are not prepared to wait long for a vote to take place.
The resolutions could have hearings and then committee members could vote to send it to the House floor. At any time, two-thirds of lawmakers could vote to suspend the rules and bring one of the resolutions up on the floor for a vote. That is unlikely to happen because that could’ve happened throughout this past year.
The final way is, since the resolutions have been referred to committee, they have 30 days to be sent to the House floor by rule before either side can take matters into their own hands. A majority of the House, or 50 lawmakers, could sign a discharge petition to take it out of committee and onto the floor.
Crossman there is an appetite for the third option if it does not get voted out of committee.
The legislature is set to go on summer break in the next couple weeks. It is unclear there if this entire process could be wrapped up by then.
Rep. Mark Fraizer, R-Newark, who introduced the Republican resolution with Stewart, wants it to happen. Fraizer has also said he believes there would be at least 80 votes to expel Householder if the vote were to take place. That being the 35 Democrats and 45 of the 64 Republicans.
Meanwhile, House Majority Floor Leader Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, who has been firm in his stance against expulsion, has said he not seen any disorderly conduct by Householder and he does not see any issue with taxpayer dollars continuing to pay Householder while he is under federal indictment.
