With some southern Ohio counties accumulating as much as 10 inches of snow Sunday into Monday, new and returning Ohio lawmakers trudged through winter weather for the first day of the 136th General Assembly.
The Ohio Revised Code requires that lawmakers hold session the first Monday of every odd-numbered year. Most members made it to Columbus unscathed, but longtime Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) was set to swear in from John Glenn International, following a string of flight delays.
There are six freshman members in the Senate and 27 among the 99 members of the House. Of the 33 senators, six are new to that chamber - three Republicans and three Democrats. But the three minority members were all in the House last session.
There weren’t any surprises when it came to election leadership for the House of Representatives, as Matt Huffman (R-Lima) became the first speaker who came directly into that leadership position on the heels of being the president of the Senate.
Leadership elections go smoothly
Huffman, who'd been unanimously voted speaker-elect by the Ohio House Republican caucus in November, got the votes of all House Republicans and Democrats. Representatives in the chamber stood and applauded Huffman after the historic vote.
There was no hint of a controversy like the one that started the 135th General Assembly two years ago. Republicans were expected to elect Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Twp.) speaker after he'd been voted leader of the House GOP caucus in November. But in the weeks between that one and the House floor vote, Rep. Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) enlisted help from 22 Republicans and all Democrats to become leader of that chamber instead. That vote set off a struggle among Republicans, with the state party censuring the 22 GOP lawmakers who voted for Stephens and with a lawsuit filed over who controlled the caucus' campaign account.
Huffman expanded the House leadership team from six members to nine. Speaker pro tem is Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville), with Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) as assistant speaker pro tem. Marilyn John (R-Richland County) is majority floor leader, with Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) as assistant majority floor leader. There are four majority whips: Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.), Riordan McClain (R-Upper Sandusky), Nick Santucci (R- Howland Twp.) and Josh Williams (R-Sylvania)
Just before Huffman's election in the House, the Senate met to formally select their leadership teams. Majority Floor Leader Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) was voted president, with Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin) as president pro tem, Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) as majority floor leader and George Lang (R-West Chester) as majority whip.
First order of business
Huffman said his priorities will be to deal with property tax reform and putting together solid budgets without the help of a lot of federal funds that have been available in recent years.
"The governor said to me, by the way, Santa Claus is not coming back. We don't have some dollars in capital budget. We don't get some of the things that the federal government paid out. So this would be certainly a different year," Huffman said.
Huffman said he hopes to resolve issues with the marijuana law voters approved in 2023 and Gov. Mike DeWine's concerns about Delta-8, also called intoxicating hemp. Huffman said the state needs to reconsider school funding since some districts are parsimonious while others are carrying over 150% to 200% of their annual spending.
"They're not all spending the same. They are not acting the same was in how they spend," Huffman said.
Huffman also said there will also be discussions about energy and problems that keep development from happening more quickly.
The House leadership team is headed by Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington), who held that position in the last session. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) is once again assistant minority leader, with Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) as minority whip and Michele Grim (D-Toledo) as assistant minority whip.
“You will see us centering our work around economic issues, particularly lowering cost for families here in the state of Ohio," Russo said.
In the Senate, Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) was re-elected minority leader. Assistant minority leader is Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus), with Kent Smith (D-Euclid) as minority whip and Beth Liston (D-Dublin), who was in the House last session, as assistant minority whip.
Huffman is the first person to serve as leader of both the House and Senate in more than a century. He evoked a bit of history of his own upon taking office. He was sworn in by Judge Alice Batchelder, widow of former Speaker Bill Batchelder. Huffman said he plans to use the wooden gavel that was given to him by Batchelder more than a decade ago.
