The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio’s new speaker of the House Jason Stephens shut down an attempt to shake up how the state House operates Tuesday, ignoring the shouts and objections of his fellow Republican representatives.
“That disrespect. It’s uncalled for. It should never have happened,” Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, said. “He ought to resign for behaving like that.”
What upset Plummer was how Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, didn’t let members of his own party offer alternative names for his leadership team or their amendments to House rules. A list of binding guidelines that dictate how everything from parking spaces to committee hearings operate.
These votes are typically benign and uneventful, but a majority of House Republicans are still upset over the way Stephens got the job. They wanted Stephens to recognize that by giving them some concessions.
Stephens relied on 22 Republican votes and 32 Democratic votes to become speaker earlier this month. The majority of his party (43 members) backed Rep. Derek Merrin, R-Monclova Township.
“The Democrats elected the speaker of the House,” Merrin said. And he has concerns about what Stephens traded for their votes.
The vote on leadership and rules was a chance, according to those who supported Merrin, to “unify the caucus” and begin to find a way to work together as a Republican majority.
“Being the first Black Republican in this House in 50 years, I thought I would have the opportunity to provide insight into a caucus that didn’t represent me or individuals who looked like me…,” Rep. Josh Williams, R-Oregon, said. “Today, once again, Black people weren’t recognized by a Republican caucus.”
Speaker Stephens: Time to move forward?
The group looking to change the rules calls themselves “Republican Majority Caucus,” and their amendments included everything from procedural changes to preventing the speaker from unilaterally assigning parking spaces and committee chairmanships.
But Stephens told reporters Tuesday that he didn’t entertain their proposals because it was time to move forward.
“I’m the speaker of the House,” Stephens said. “I’m the leader of the Republican caucus, and we have a group of members who are ready to get to work for Ohio.”
The move to strip away some powers traditionally held by Ohio’s speaker isn’t something that cropped up after Stephens’ unusual election.
Two former Republican House speakers, Cliff Rosenberger and Larry Householder, both walked off the dais under the cloud of an FBI investigation. Rosenberger was never charged, but Householder’s trial started this week. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on federal bribery and racketeering charges.
“When you’re beholden to the speaker, it can lead to corruption. We all saw it,” Plummer said at a press conference. “We’re not calling anybody corrupt amongst these members, but we’re going to eliminate the possibility of corruption.”
But Stephens moved right from the introduction of House rules to the vote without any debate.
Rep. Ron Ferguson, R-Wintersville, made a last-minute pitch to Democrats, asking them to “vote no and give us a chance to amend.” But Democrats didn’t take it.
House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said Ferguson didn’t call her before the session and some of the proposed amendments she saw “we absolutely would not have supported.”
“Firearms on the floor. Only having Christian prayer” were two examples Russo gave.
One rule change she supported was requiring at least one calendar day to review all proposed amendments and substitute bills.
“So that no member of the public or the legislature goes into a committee voting on an amendment or a substitute bill that they have not previously seen …,” she said. “We think this is a win for the public and increases transparency.”
Who controls the money?
Another outstanding question is who controls the millions of dollars in the Ohio Republican Alliance campaign committee.
It’s money House Republicans rely upon when they run for office, and Plummer said he’s been elected to dole it out.
Stephens told reporters that of course, that money “runs through the speaker.”
Plummer then disagreed, saying Stephens needed to brush up on Ohio’s Revised Code.
“The majority of our caucus chose myself and Merrin. Not him,” Plummer said. “He got his votes from the other side of the aisle. He can go negotiate with them on what he runs. We run OHRA. He’ll figure it out here shortly.”
What happens next?
The House Rules passed 63-35 on Tuesday, which means Stephens had the support of 31 Republicans and Merrin had 35.
“He needs a majority of us unless he goes with the Democrats to pass anything,” Plummer said, though he acknowledged that his caucus doesn’t have 50 votes either.
It’s a stalemate that could stall or stop conservative legislation in a chamber where Republicans outnumber Democrats two to one.
“That’s his problem,” Plummer said. “He’s in the middle of this mess. He can figure it out.”
Plummer, the former Montgomery County sheriff also asked Stephens for “66% of all chairmanships, 66% of our members on committees, so he can’t stack powerful committees and force his agenda through.”
But a list of committee chairs circulated by Stephens had about 50% of those positions going to the 22 Republicans who supported him in the speaker vote. It also gave most of the major committees, like finance, to that group.
Williams said the rules adopted on Tuesday violate Ohio’s constitution, and he intends to object “at every occasion.”
