Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer (Op-Ed): For the sake of our state, it’s time to pull out HB 6, root and branch

04.24.2024 / By Catherine Turcer
Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer (Op-Ed): For the sake of our state, it’s time to pull out HB 6, root and branch

For the past four years, a heavy cloud has hung over Ohio and our state legislature in the form of House Bill 6 and disgraced former Speaker Larry Householder. The HB 6 scheme has been a textbook example of corruption, embarrassing Ohioans with endless indictments, guilty verdicts and negative news stories. Now, four years later, it still dominates headlines, with the recent revelation of payments to conservative groups to support Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. John Husted, and Senate President Matt Huffman.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the past four years, a heavy cloud has hung over Ohio and our state legislature in the form of House Bill 6 and disgraced former Speaker Larry Householder.

The HB 6 scheme has been a textbook example of corruption, embarrassing Ohioans with endless indictments, guilty verdicts and negative news stories. Now, four years later, it still dominates headlines, with the recent revelation of payments to conservative groups to support Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. John Husted, and Senate President Matt Huffman.

That’s why we should rip out what is left of HB 6, root and branch. What remains is an estimated $533,589-a-day reminder of the corruption that permeates our state. While Ohioans are no longer on the hook for bailing out FirstEnergy’s nuclear plants, ratepayers have spent more than $247 million subsidizing two aging coal plants — and while HB 6 is still on the books, they continue to pay. House Bill 6 also removed renewable energy standards: Ohioans are left holding the bag, breathing dirtier air, and less prepared for the future.
If the state legislature still wants to give companies multimillion-dollar handouts, they should be forced to do so in the light of day so we can ensure that Ohioans aren’t ripped off in the future. We need to pass legislation that requires the disclosure of donations for all entities, just as we do for candidates. Let’s make sure money can’t be passed from one nonprofit to another to cover up the source of funding.

Earlier this year, Lt. Gov. Husted said he thought HB 6 should be removed completely. Now that a million-dollar contribution from FirstEnergy to support him has been revealed, I hope he makes it a key priority for himself and the legislature to finish the job. The next step should be a pledge to bring transparency to political spending in the state. Ohioans deserve better than the corrupt political process that lets big donors buy what they want and sticks taxpayers with the bill.

Catherine Turcer is executive director of Common Cause Ohio, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy.

 

To read the op-ed online, click here.

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