Usually a procedural afterthought, the Ohio House approved a new rules package Tuesday over the bitter objections of right-wing lawmakers.
The following article was originally published in the Ohio Capital Journal and published on News5Cleveland.com under a content-sharing agreement.
After the vote, Merrin called a point of order and lashed out at Stephens for forging ahead without entertaining amendments. Stephens quoted the rules back to Merrin, arguing “the speaker is entitled to determine when the House is ready to vote.” Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, described it as a Sword of Damocles, and raised concerns about changes allowing the Rules and Reference Committee to recall a bill it had previously referred. Rules is a powerful committee headed up by the speaker that determines where bills should be heard and typically serves as a bill’s last stop before the floor.
“We have the votes,” he went on. “We have the majority of the caucus, and we will exercise our right to vote. He can’t take our votes from us, so he’s got to navigate that problem.”Democrats meanwhile pushed back forcefully on a proposed amendment that would’ve required a “Christian prayer” before session. Already, sessions customarily begin with a prayer — often delivered by a Christian minister.
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