Republican Larry Householder has been removed as speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives by a unanimous vote, after his arrest last week on a federal racketeering charge related to the nuclear bailout law he pushed last year. He was indicted on that charge less than an hour before the vote to strip him of his leadership. But a new speaker may not be picked today. Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler reports.
Longtime Republican lawmaker Bill Seitz, who had not voted for Householder when he became speaker last year, proposed the motion to remove him from that post. Seitz said it’s the first time a speaker of the Ohio House has ever been removed, and the unanimous vote sends a message.
“As a practical reality the overwhelming majority of the members believe that Speaker Householder can no longer effectively function in that role.”
Seitz says a vote for a new speaker won’t happen until the GOP caucus has 50 votes for one candidate. Seitz supports Speaker Pro Tem Jim Butler, who is term limited. The other candidate is former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bob Cupp, who’s unopposed as he runs for re-election to his fourth term in the House this fall.
