For now, anyway, Householder’s bipartisanship is notable

No one considers the Ohio House of Representatives a good-government seminar. But the Republican-run House made operational moves last week, orchestrated by Republican Speaker Larry Householder of Perry County’s Glenford in the direction of bipartisanship — a stark contrast to presidential and congressional chaos in Washington.

Meanwhile, also as part of last week’s session, Ohio House Democrats formally chose the new caucus leader they designated in January, Rep. Emilia Sykes of Akron. She replaces Rep. Fred Strahorn of Dayton. Sykes’ House Democratic leadership team includes Reps. Kristin Boggs of Columbus, Kent Smith of Euclid and Rep. Paula Hicks-hudson, Toledo’s former mayor.

The House’s moves suggest that Householder, a crafty politico, may think Washington-style confrontations are becoming a losing proposition. And for Householder, forward thinking matters because he’s eligible to be re-elected House speaker in 2021 and 2023. Given the chance for a three-term speakership — the first since Reynoldsburg Republican Jo Ann Davidson’s highly successful 1995-2000 tenure — Householder’s apparent goal, with an eye on his prospects, is to build, not burn, bridges.

Householder, who was speaker from 2001 through 2004, made a stunning comeback in January by defeating fellow Republican Rep. Ryan Smith of Gallia County’s Bidwell in a 52-46 vote. Bidwell was House speaker last session from June 6 through Dec. 31.

Republicans now have a 61-38 House majority. Householder won last month with 26 Republican votes (of the 60 Republicans then in the House) and 26 votes from the House’s 38 Democrats. Unions wanted Democrats to back Householder, who’s not seen as a union-buster.

In December, Smith and his allies had slated their proposed 2019-20 House leadership group. For example, Rep. Rick Carfagna, a Westerville Republican, was Smith’s choice for speaker pro tempore, the House’s No. 2 office. Instead, a Householder ally, Rep. Jim Butler, an Oakwood Republican, landed that job last week.

Three other Smith allies slated for leadership slots also found themselves on the outs Thursday: Reps. Sarah Latourette of Chesterland, Thomas Patton of Strongsville and Bill Reineke of Tiffin. Replacing them are two Republicans who’d backed Householder: Reps. Anthony Devitis of Green and Jay Edwards of Nelsonville and a Republican who’d voted for Smith, Rep. Laura Lanese of Grove City.

Rep. William J. Seitz, a suburban Cincinnati Republican slated by Team Smith to become House majority floor leader, voted for Smith on Jan. 7. Still, the House elected Seitz majority floor leader last week. That couldn’t have happened without Householder’s OK. Maybe Householder thinks Seitz, a Statehouse ally of the American Legislative Exchange Council, can more easily be managed inside the Householder tent than outside it.

The House also tweaked its rules. Among other features, the new rules crafted by a committee chaired by Rep. Jamie Callender, a Concord Township Republican, require that House Democrats co-chair each of three House subcommittees: criminal sentencing, primary and secondary education, and energy generation (in plain English, electricity prices). Having Democrats chair a Republican House’s subcommittees has to be a new departure for Ohio.

The rules also abolish the House’s Government Accountability and Oversight Committee. Good riddance. The committee sat on a payday-loan-reform bill for 13 months in

2017 and 2018 during Clarksville Republican Cliff Rosenberger’s speakership. On April 12, facing a federal investigation, Rosenberger resigned from the speakership and the House.

On June 6 the House elected Ryan Smith as its new speaker and on June 7 the House finally passed the payday-loan bill in a 71-17 vote. (Butler and Seitz were among the no votes.)

Thanks to Smith, the payday-loan reform, House Bill 123 sponsored by Reps. Kyle Koehler, a Springfield Republican, and Michael Ashford, a Toledo Democrat, didn’t end up in a Statehouse shredder. On July 30, Kasich signed the pro-consumer bill into law.

At this stage of the 2019-20 session, it’s easy for sweetness and light to prevail — before the House tackles the 2020-21 state budget Republican Gov. Mike Dewine will propose. And re-introduction of a “heartbeat” abortion ban will stoke vigorous dissent.

But on various levels, Ohio House Republicans are now taking House Democrats into account. Given Republicans’ Statehouse antics in the recent past, that’s huge.

Thomas Suddes is a former legislative reporter with The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and writes from Ohio University. Email him at tsuddes@gmail. com.