Speaker appoints HB 6 committee

Members to look at repealing, replacing nuclear bailout bill

New Speaker of the House Bob Cupp Sept. 2 announced the members of the newly created committee that will review House Bill 6 repeal and replacement legislation.

HB 6 is the bill at the center of an alleged bribery scandal involving now-former Speaker of the House Larry Householder, R-Glenford. Householder and four others were arrested July 21 for allegedly violating the “racketeering statute through honest services wire fraud, receipt of millions of dollars in bribes and money laundering.”

Cupp, R-Lima announced the creation of the House Select Committee on Energy Policy and Oversight on Aug. 31. The committee will be led by State Rep. Jim Hoops, R-Napoleon, who voted for House Bill 6 last year.

The bill was signed into law in July 2019. It among other things gives North Perry’s Perry Nuclear Power Plant and Ottawa County’s Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant $150 million annually between 2021 and 2027. The funds are raised through charges paid by residential, commercial and industrial electric customers.

Hoops will be joined on the committee by eight Republicans and six Democrats. The members are the following:

• Rep. Cindy Abrams, RHarrison (vice chair)

• Rep. Brian Baldridge, R-Winchester

• Rep. Rick Carfagna, RGenoa Township

• Rep. Phil Plummer, RDayton

• Rep. Mark Romanchuk, R-Ontario

• Rep. Dick Stein, R-Norwalk

• Rep. Jason Stephens, RKitts Hill

• Rep. Scott Wiggam, RWooster

• Rep. David Leland, DColumbus (ranking member) • Rep. Kristin Boggs, DColumbus

• Rep. Sedrick Denson, D-Cincinnati

• Rep. Michael O’Brien, D-Warren

• Rep. Kent Smith, D-Euclid

• Rep. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson

Baldridge, Plummer, Stein and Wiggam all voted for House Bill 6’s passage last year. Stein was a cosponsor of the legislation. All six Democrats on the committee voted against House Bill 6.

O’Brien is the sponsor of one of the bills introduced to repeal House Bill 6 in the wake of Householder’s arrest. Stein and his cosponsor Michael Skindell, D-Lakewood, were critical of Cupp Aug. 31 for the creation of the committee, calling it an “unnecessary level of bureaucracy.” The pair wanted to have a repeal vote brought to the floor this week.

Boggs, Carfagna, Denson,

Leland, Smith and Weinstein are co-sponsors of the O’Brien-Skindell bill.

Carfagna, Plummer and Romanchuk are the cosponsor of a separate repeal bill introduced by Reps. Laura Lanese, R-Grove City and Mark Romanchuk, ROntario.

Hoops said in a statement he is looking forward to a “robust and thorough discussion” and review of House Bill 6.

“It’s important to have sound energy policy that works for Ohio,” Hoops said.

The committee is expected to have its first hearing next week, according to a news release from Cupp’s office.

FirstEnergy Solutions, the owner of Ohio’s two nuclear plants, filed for bankruptcy in March 2018 and had plans to shut down both plants by 2021 if it did not receive subsidies. FirstEnergy Solutions officials emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy Feb. 27 as Energy Harbor.