Last stand: In an era of partisan strife that’s made compromise increasingly difficult in the nation’s capital, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman plans to keep brokering political deals until the last mementos of his 24-year legislative career are wheeled out of the U.S. Senate in January, Sabrina Eaton writes. Not having to run for reelection was a freeing experience for Portman. It let him spend his last two years in Congress negotiating compromises with colleagues instead of devoting himself to raising reelection money, making campaign appearances and preparing for debates.
Fair shake: Ohio State Fair officials are looking at a plan that would make dramatic changes to the state fairgrounds in Columbus, including demolishing 20 buildings and building 15 new facilities. But as Jeremy Pelzer explains, it’s still not clear exactly how much the facelift would cost, nor how willing state lawmakers would be to approve the money to pay for it.
Mandatory minimum: The Ohio Senate rejected a House proposal that would create a five-year minimum sentence for those convicted of aggravated vehicular manslaughter of a firefighter or EMS worker, Jake Zuckerman reports. That would even the penalty out with vehicular manslaughter of a police officer under current law. The matter is likely headed for a conference committee between the House and Senate.
Pushed back: The Ohio House Government Oversight Committee was slated to advance two measures on Thursday: one that would raise the voter approval threshold to 60% for proposed constitutional amendments, and House BIll 294, part of the buffet of sweeping elections changes are Republican are considering during the lame-duck session. But a committee vote happened on neither. The committee’s chairman, Rep. Shane Wilkin, said illnesses among committee members caused the delay, and the measures now are scheduled for a possible vote sometime on Monday.
Hear ye: The Ohio Elections Commission has scheduled a Jan. 5 hearing to examine the evidence in the complaint against Joe Blystone, the one-time GOP candidate for governor who’s accused of campaign finance issues, including not properly recording small-dollar donations and violating the state’s law on contributions from corporations. Commission Executive Director Philip Richter had started negotiating with Blystone for a settlement. But Commissioners Michael Crites and Christina Hagan, among others, said that the allegations are significant enough that they’d like to look at all the evidence. A settlement wouldn’t disclose all the alleged violations of the law, they said.
Pension relief: President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the failing Central States Pension Fund, which serves almost 40,000 Ohioans, will get $36 billion from the American Rescue Plan to prevent drastic cuts to the pensions of the more than 350,000 union workers and retirees it covers, Eaton reports. White House American Rescue Plan Coordinator and Senior Advisor to the President Gene Sperling said it is the largest single chunk of money awarded to any program from the American Rescue Plan and it will be “the largest single award of assistance for retirement security, ever” in the nation’s history.
Poor judgement: Meals and vacations that a wealthy evangelical Ohio couple bestowed on conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices were cited as a reason the nation’s highest court needs an ethics code at a Thursday hearing by the House Judiciary Committee, Eaton writes. Gayle and Don Wright of Centerville, were part of a program called “Operation Higher Court” that recruited “wealthy donors, and stealth missionaries” to befriend justices that shared its conservative social and religious sensibilities, the program’s former leader, Rev. Robert Schenk, told the committee. He said his donors hosted justices or their spouses for meals at restaurants, private clubs, or their homes and sometimes the justices reciprocated.
Average Joe: Buzz is swirling around the possibility that Gov. Mike DeWine may appoint Joe Deters, the Hamilton County prosecutor and former state treasurer, to an upcoming vacancy on the Ohio Supreme Court. Sharon Coolidge and Laura Bischoff reported for USA Today’s Ohio Network that Deters was under consideration, while Colleen Marshall and others at NBC4 in Columbus reported that DeWine had picked Deters. Both stories cited anonymous sources. Speaking with reporters on Thursday, DeWine declined to say whether Deters had reached out to him. “There’s a lot of people who are applying,” DeWine said. “I’m getting calls from people every day suggesting different names. So no decision has been made.” Whomever DeWine picks would fill a seat vacated by Justice Sharon Kennedy, who was elected chief justice in November.
Delphi oracle: U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, a Dayton Republican, wants end-of-the-year legislation in Congress to include a pension fix for more than 20,000 Delphi salaried retirees who lost 30% to 70% of their benefits in the aftermath of the General Motors bailout. “After 13 years of working to fix this injustice, Delphi Salaried Retirees should not have to start over again next Congress,” Turner wrote in a letter to House Republican and Democratic leaders that was also signed by Marietta Republican Rep. Bill Johnson.
Gay marriage: The House of Representatives on Thursday signed off on gay marriage legislation approved by the U.S. Senate, in a 224-164 vote. Ohioans Dave Joyce of South Russell, Anthony Gonzalez of Rocky River, Mike Turner of Dayton and Mike Carey of Columbus were among the 39 Republicans who backed it along with the state’s Democrats. They also supported a prior version of the bill. Champaign County’s Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, urged colleagues to vote against it, saying the changes the Senate made in the bill to protect religious liberty “do not go far enough.”
Question: What is the origin of the word “Ohio” and what does it mean?
Email your response to [email protected]. The first correct respondent will be mentioned in next week’s newsletter.
Thanks to everyone who answered last week’s question:
Which current Ohio state lawmaker has served in the state legislature for the longest without interruption?
Answer: State Rep. Scott Oelslager, of North Canton, was first appointed to the Ohio Senate in 1985. He has been reelected continuously since then, switching between the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate to navigate term limits since then.
Jim Trakas of Independence, a former state representative and ex-Cuyahoga County Republican Party chairman, was the winner.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday he will nominate Andy Wilson as the next director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Wilson, who currently serves as the governor’s senior adviser for criminal justice policy, is a former Clark County prosecutor. Pending Senate confirmation, Wilson will succeed retiring director Tom Stickrath.
The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Jeffery Paul Hopkins to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio in a 64-32 vote. His nomination had backing from Portman as well as Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Hopkins, a Cincinnati resident, was previously a judge on the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to advance Michael D. Black’s nomination to serve as U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio. He has been Director of Protective Services for OhioHealth Corporation since 2021
Saturday, 12/10: state Rep. Sedrick Denson
Sunday, 12/11: Matt Donahue, Gov. Mike DeWine’s chief legal counsel; Levi Gross, legislative aide to state Rep. Bill Seitz; Christina Hagan, former state lawmaker and GOP congressional candidate; Derek Chancellor, Southwest Ohio Liaison for Lt. Gov. Jon Husted
“One thing I’ve learned, people who mislead folks on small things, mislead them on big things.”
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, attacking a witness during a Thursday hearing by the House Judiciary Committee about the potential for an ethics code for U.S. Supreme Court justices.
Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.
