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After Nearly Two Months, Ohio Republicans are Expected to Pick Their Speaker Tomorrow

photo of Ohio House chambers
DAN KONIK
/
STATEHOUSE NEWS BUREAU
There are nearly 150 bills waiting for a vote.

The Ohio House will meet for a full voting session Wednesday. That hasn’t happened for nearly two months. But they won’t be passing any new bills.

There are 150 bills that have passed through House committees or have come from the Senate and are awaiting a House vote. 

The so-called “Stand Your Ground” bill and measures to crack down on payday lenders, buy new voting machines and ban forced overtime for nurses are among those on hold while majority Republican lawmakers wage a behind the scenes battle to pick a speaker for the rest of this year.

Former Speaker Cliff Rosenberger resigned in April to deal with an FBI inquiry, reportedly into his association with lobbyists.  

A spokesman for Acting Speaker Kirk Schuring says the election of speaker is the only thing on the agenda on this first day back. And he says it will be up to the new speaker to decide the schedule to consider future legislation.

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment. Jo started her career in Louisville, Kentucky in the mid 80’s when she helped produce a televised presidential debate for ABC News, worked for a creative services company and served as a general assignment report for a commercial radio station. In 1989, she returned back to her native Ohio to work at the WOSU Stations in Columbus where she began a long resume in public radio.