DeWine calls on state lawmakers to repeal, replace HB 6

COLUMBUS — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine urged state lawmakers to work to repeal and replace House Bill 6, the legislation signed into law that surrounds a federal bribery investigation involving current Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.

RELATED: What is HB 6? The bill at the center of Larry Householder’s arrest

DeWine addressed the federal investigation again Thursday during his briefing on the state’s continued response to the coronavirus pandemic.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, 4 others arrested in $60 million federal racketeering conspiracy

“The process in which this bill was passed is simply not acceptable,” DeWine said.

>>Who is Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder?

He called on the state legislature to repeal and replace the bill and urged lawmakers to take quick action.

“It needs to happen in the open and it needs to happen very quickly,” he said.

>>RELATED: Householder bribery case: DeWine said it’s a ‘sad day for Ohio,’ calls for resignation

House Bill 6 was passed into law in 2019 and provided a bailout for two nuclear plants in Ohio, which at the time were owned by First Energy Solutions. After a bankruptcy ruling earlier this year, the company is now known as Energy Harbor.

The federal charges announced Tuesday accused Householder and four others of being part of a racketeering conspiracy involving around $60 million.

During the Thursday briefing, DeWine renewed his calls for Householder to resign immediately as the Ohio House Speaker.

“It is clear that Speaker Householder can no longer function as speaker. The people’s business must be done,” DeWine said.

Cox Media Group