Although Ohio House members removed former House Speaker Larry Householder from his leadership post amid a public corruption investigation, he remains an active member of the legislature. Now, some of his colleagues are pushing a bill that could make him pay restitution for his salary if he’s convicted of the bribery and racketeering charges levied against him.
State Rep. Jeff Crossman (D-Parma) says Householder should have resigned or been removed after his recent federal indictment, which charged that Householder accepted $60 million in payment from dark money groups in exchange for helping to pass a controversial nuclear bailout bill.
Since that didn’t happen, Crossman says his bill could force the former speaker to pay up if convicted of the charges.
“But if he is convicted of these public corruption charges, he should be forced to reimburse taxpayers for all of the salary and benefits he has received since his indictment," Crossman says.
Crossman says his bill, co-sponsored by fellow state Rep. Gil Blair (D-Weathersfield), could be passed during the lame duck session and apply to Householder’s case with an emergency clause.
The legislation would also prevent lawmakers from being sworn into their seat after an election if they are under indictment for a criminal case. Householder is currently running unopposed for reelection this fall.
