COLUMBUS – Republican state representatives plan to meet Tuesday for the first time since the leader of the House of Representatives was arrested in connection with a $60 million federal bribery probe.
The members of the GOP caucus will try to figure out their next steps, including how to replace disgraced speaker Larry Householder.
The meeting follows the release of a federal affidavit Wednesday identifying Householder and four associates as part of an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving millions of dollars of corporate money secretly funneled to them for personal and political use in exchange for passing legislation to bail out two FirstEnergy nuclear plants.
House Republicans plan to discuss whether Householder should be removed, what the mechanics are for his removal, and any legal consequences they may face.
Meanwhile, two Democratic members have introduced a measure aimed at making it harder to carry out a scheme such as the one Householder and his four associates are accused of operating.
Representatives Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) filed broad anti-corruption legislation, called the Ohio Anti-Corruption Act, that would require non-profit “social welfare” groups to identify their funders and disclose their spending, a move to combat the use of “dark money” in Ohio politics.
The bill would require 501( c )(4) corporations to disclose contributions meant to influence elections and release more information about their owners and funding sources.
Householder used such an organization, called Generation Now, to funnel money from energy companies to lawmakers to influence their votes on the bailout bill and to support efforts to prevent the bill from being repealed.
The measure also forbids domestic corporations with foreign owners and decision makers from spending money to influence Ohio elections.