Giving DeWine control of the state Education Department (to be renamed the Education and Workforce Department) would make the State Board of Education and state superintendent of public instruction, which the board hires, fundamentally irrelevant to what goes on in Ohio’s K-12 classrooms and career centers.
The sausage-grinding that crafted HB 151 is a dismal but common Statehouse procedure: Lashing bills together to get them passed as a package.
In this instance, the key feature was that state Senate Republicans evidently thought they had a deal with House Republicans to pass it. Trouble is, either someone didn’t tell enough House Republicans, or a lot of them were in an independent mood. Because 11 House Republicans voted “nay,” as did all House Democrats present, on the Education Department/transgender athletes’ bill.
Result: With 50 House “ayes” required, and 11 House Republicans opposed, HB 151 only drew 46 “ayes,” killing it. The measure (or measures) will now have to start their dreary procession through the Statehouse all over again in 2023.
The 11 House Republicans who voted “nay” on the Senate’s version of jury-rigged HB 151 were Reps. Thomas Brinkman, of Cincinnati; Bill Dean, of Xenia; Ron Ferguson, of Wintersville; Sarah Fowler Arthur, of Ashtabula; Jennifer Gross, of West Chester; Mark Johnson, of Chillicothe; Kris Jordan, of Ostrander; Jena Powell, of Laura; Jean Schmidt, of Loveland; Dick Stein of Norwalk — and Rep. Derek Merrin, of suburban Toledo. And Merrin is expected to become House Republicans’ leader (House speaker) on Jan. 3.
If a tune ran through the minds of Senate Republicans after House Republicans torpedoed HB 151, it probably wasn’t “Kumbaya.”
The dynamics of the new session will itself be unusual. First off, Merrin must leave the House in December 2024 because of term-limits. That’ll make him a one-term speaker which means that backroom politicking to succeed him in January 2025 has almost certainly begun.
Also in December 2024, also because of term-limits, Senate President Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican, and a power player at the Statehouse, must leave the Senate, which suggests internal politicking in that chamber too over its future leadership.
During the arguably passive speakership of retiring House Speaker Robert Cupp, also a Lima Republican, Huffman — de facto — seems to have become the legislature’s Go-To Republican. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out with 2023-24 Speaker Merrin.
Add to those dynamics the fact that DeWine, who turns age 76 on Jan. 5, is also term limited. On the one hand that’ll limit the governor’s Statehouse clout but on the other hand it’ll give the governor more freedom than if he were facing reelection.
Example: There are 126 men and one woman awaiting execution on Ohio’s Death Row, according to the state’s Rehabilitation and Correction Department.
DeWine hasn’t recently flat-out said whether he opposes or favors the death penalty; historically, he supported it. But Ohio hasn’t executed anybody since he became governor in January 2019.
And here’s what DeWine told Statehouse correspondents Dec. 15, The Columbus Dispatch reported: “We’ve had no executions, and I don’t anticipate any.”
Thomas Suddes is a former legislative reporter with The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and writes from Ohio University. You can reach him at tsuddes@gmail.com.
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