Credit: AP
Credit: AP
No such surprises occurred this time around. As expected, Lima Republican Rep. Matt Huffman was elected (unanimously) to lead the House. The same was true in the Senate for Sen. Rob McColley, a northeast Ohio Republican who forged a close working relationship with Huffman over their shared time in the Senate.
The Ohio House speaker and Senate president hold powerful positions, with the ability to make committee appointments and control what legislation is voted on in each chamber.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Democratic leadership remains the same in the 136th G.A. as it was in the 135th: Rep. Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, was reelected minority leader with only a few Republican protest votes and Sen. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, was reelected minority leader with unanimous support.
In sum, Monday’s Statehouse proceedings showed that, early on, the 136th General Assembly has alignment between Republicans and Democrats within each chamber but also between the chambers themselves. All four leaders expect that dynamic to make for a productive legislature over the next two years.
For Ohio Democrats, affixed in superminorities in both the Ohio House and Senate, a more productive General Assembly can either leave them steamrolled or with the opportunity to touch — and mold, they’d hope — more pieces of legislation that actually become law.
Credit: Jay LaPrete
Credit: Jay LaPrete
“I suspect we’ll see things getting through, for better or worse, more quickly through both chambers,” Russo told this outlet Monday.
Antonio, a confessed optimist, told reporters that with Republican leaders of the House and Senate more aligned, there will more often be conversation and debate “that’s been missing this past G.A.”
“I’m really hopeful that it will mean that, as a body, in both the House and the Senate, that we actually get some additional work done,” Antonio said Monday.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Priorities
Priorities among Republican leaders are so far shared. Both McColley and Huffman told reporters Monday they hope to address rising property taxes; further regulate marijuana by adjusting the framework that legalized recreational use; and focus on energy independence through fracking.
“Obviously, Matt Huffman and I have worked very well together,” McColley told reporters. “I would suspect that he and I are going to have a very collaborative relationship, and I think we’re going to get along quite well over the course of the next two years. I would suspect that we’re going to have a busy first few months, passing an awful lot of legislation.”
McColley said he hopes to capitalize on policies Ohio’s Republican legislature has enacted over recent years to make the state a “better state to live, work and raise a family and invest in a business.”
“I think we really have an opportunity to really put our foot to the floor, put the pedal to the metal, and really accelerate Ohio’s growth,” McColley said. “If we do the right things, I think it’ll pay dividends for years to come.”
Democratic leaders, meanwhile, said they’ll focus on bringing down the cost of living in Ohio, including on housing (through property tax reform and other means) and health care. Antonio put an onus on attempting to add more transparency and accountability regarding private schools that accept publicly funded vouchers, a program that has been expanded dramatically by the GOP in recent years.
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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