Ohio's new General Assembly starts two years of work on Monday, and there's an uncertain future for Larry Householder. The Republican former House Speaker faces a massive federal bribery indictment, but he remains a state lawmaker after winning reelection last fall.
State Rep. Bob Cupp (R-Lima), who was elected to replace Householder as Speaker, noted the Ohio Constitution allows a House member to be ousted only once for a given reason. Now that Householder has been re-elected to a two-year term, Cupp said that’s a possibility.
“There's an expulsion the House could do if a majority agree. There’s impeachment, that is another option," Cupp said. "And you’ll recall that I have said in the past I think the honorable thing to do would be for the former speaker to resign."
Householder was unanimously voted out as the House Speaker over the summer, after he was arrested on federal racketeering charges. Householder and four others were indicted for an alleged $61 million conspiracy that helped Householder get elected Speaker in exchange for the passage of HB6, the controversial nuclear bailout law.
Cupp said the House will "develop a consensus" in the coming year on what should happen with Householder, who has said he’s innocent of the charges against him. Two other men have already pleaded guilty in the case.
Cupp also said this coming year he wants to revisit changes to the nuclear bailout law, wh ich federal prosecutors say was passed as a result of the conspiracy. While there were several bills to repeal some or all of HB6, no changes were made in 2020.
