Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder oversees a House vote Wednesday to reject a Senate plan for changing Ohio’s private school tuition vouchers. He announced a new approach late Wednesday night.
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder said Tuesday he does not plan on resigning despite being arrested in connection with a federal bribery investigation into the state’s nuclear bailout law.
Householder, a Perry County Republican, answered “no” when asked by WSYX-TV’s Lu Ann Stoia whether he is planning to leave office. Householder otherwise didn’t comment as he was surrounded by reporters and protesters after leaving a federal court in Columbus on Tuesday afternoon.
A wide variety of state officials, including Gov. Mike DeWine, Attorney General Dave Yost, Senate President Larry Obhof, and the chairs of both the Ohio Republican and Democratic parties, have called on Householder to resign after he and four allies were accused of accepting more than $60 million in bribe money from FirstEnergy Corp. to pass House Bill 6, which gave a $1.3 billion public bailout to two nuclear power plants in the state.
Householder, who previously served as speaker in the early 2000s, is currently serving his second term representing House District 72, which covers Perry County, Coshocton County, and southern/eastern Licking County.
If convicted of conspiracy to commit racketeering, Householder and each of the other four could face up to 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.
If Householder is convicted, he would automatically lose both the speaker’s gavel and his House seat, as state law prohibits felons from holding public office.
Read more Larry Householder stories:
Why isn’t FirstEnergy charged (yet) in the Ohio nuclear bailout bribery case?
Gov. Mike DeWine, other state officials say Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder should resign
FirstEnergy Corp. stock plummets after federal charges related to HB6 nuclear bailout
Larry Householder’s cash support from FirstEnergy, others in utility industry
Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and others arrested in public corruption case: Who’s who?
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