Rotunda Rumblings
Stand by your plan: Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday voiced support for keeping House Bill 6′s billion-dollar nuclear bailout in place even though federal authorities assert it was the product of the largest bribery scheme in Ohio history. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, the governor said even though he worries the charges against Speaker Larry Householder and his allies will erode trust in government, he still feels the bailout saved jobs and kept non-carbon-emitting sources of power in the state.
HB nix: Ahead of DeWine’s comments, Republican and Democratic lawmakers each announced plans to introduce legislation to repeal House Bill 6. But as Pelzer reports, each of those lawmakers previously voted against the bailout, and it remains to be seen whether there are enough votes to repeal it.
Masks across Ohio: After repeatedly imploring Ohioans to wear masks, DeWine announced that starting Thursday evening, masks will be required statewide in all indoor public spaces, outdoor spaces without proper social distancing, and in public transportation. As Pelzer writes, DeWine listed a number of people exempt from following the mask rule, including young children, people with health conditions, people playing sports, and people speaking during a religious service.
With a little help from my friends: Householder didn’t rely only on Republicans in the House to pass HB6. In fact, 10 Democrats helped him get it approved. Seth Richardson looked at the 10 Dems who assisted – including how many of them took campaign contributions from FirstEnergy.
If at first you don’t succeed: FirstEnergy Corp. was unsuccessful in persuading the legislature to bail out its nuclear power plants – until Householder become House speaker. Peter Krouse lays out the history of the bailout bill that federal authorities now say was the fruit of a massive corruption scheme.
What next: Eric Heisig explains the tactics being used by federal prosecutors in the Householder case and their decision to charge him and four associates initially through a criminal complaint rather than an indictment. And Heisig lays out what is likely to happen next in the process.
Holder of another house: The criminal complaint accuses Householder of using more than $100,000 in bribe money to fix a house he owns in Naples, Fla. Evan MacDonald looked at court and property records that show Householder had various problems related to the house, including unpaid taxes and code violations.
Travel advisory: Ohio has issued a travel advisory for states with a 15% coronavirus testing positivity rate and above. That means travelers from those states and Ohioans returning home should quarantine for 14 days, Emily Bamforth reports. The list of states will be updated weekly.
Mask on, guard up: Informal gatherings like wedding showers and barbeques where people may feel more comfortable without a mask are causing groups of coronavirus cases, Emily Bamforth and Courtney Astolfi report. DeWine shared in Wednesday’s coronavirus briefing a list of anecdotes from throughout the state.
High day for cases: The reported 1,527 additional coronavirus cases on Wednesday, marked the third highest total on a single day, as the death total to date increased to 3,235. The only days when the Ohio Department of Health reported more cases were on July 17-18, with 1,679 and 1,542 cases reported on those days, Rich Exner reports.
Sporting chance: While practices for fall high school sports remain scheduled for Aug. 1, DeWine was noncommittal Wednesday on the status of high school sports, Matt Goul reports. "Frankly, we've got to get a little closer to this in time," DeWine said Wednesday at his briefing.
Be it resolved: U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown on Wednesday introduced a resolution that would declare racism a public health emergency, saying that doing so would help the Senate continue the debate on how to deal with structural racism, Sabrina Eaton writes. “Some want to treat the coronavirus and racial justice as separate issues, but they’re intimately connected,” Brown told reporters on Wednesday.
Belated bar: The Ohio Supreme Court announced Wednesday that the Ohio Bar Exam rescheduled for September would be postponed until October, and administered remotely. Emily Bamforth reports that the court’s practice pending admission policy will be extended for those who want to reschedule their exam for February.
Republican rift: Champaign County GOP U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan and several other House Freedom Caucus members on Tuesday criticized Republican U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming for publicly breaking with President Donald Trump on issues including his handling of the coronavirus and his Twitter rhetoric, Politico reported. Cheney, who chairs the House Republican Conference, recalled that Jordan frequently broke with his party’s leaders when Republicans controlled the House of Representatives, saying: “I look forward to hearing your comments about being a team player when we’re back in the majority.”
On The Move
Susan Motil, a 31-year NASA veteran, has been named deputy director of Cleveland’s NASA Glenn Research Center, succeeding Marla Pérez-Davis, who became the center’s director in January. Motil most recently managed the Orion Program’s European Service Module Integration Office (EIO).
Straight from the Source
“We have no idea what you are doing. Nor do you, because you can’t answer the questions.”
- U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge of Warrensville Heights, who joined other Democrats during a U.S. House Agriculture subcommittee hearing Tuesday in criticizing the Trump administration’s “Farmers to Families Food Box” program to Agriculture Undersecretary Greg Ibach.
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Gov. Mike DeWine still supports HB6 despite Householder bribery scandal: Capitol Letter - cleveland.com
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