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Householder's Future As Ohio Lawmaker Will Be Decided 'In The Coming Year,' Says Speaker

By Karen Kasler

Published December 30, 2020 at 9:07 PM EST

Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima) was sworn in on July 30 after the House voted to remove Larry Householder (R-Glenford) as speaker. [Karen Kasler] — Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima) was sworn in on July 30 after the House voted to remove Larry Householder (R-Glenford) as speaker.

There’s a lot ahead in 2021 for Rep. Larry Householder (R-Glenford). The former House Speaker is facing federal charges in a $61 million bribery scandal. And he could also lose the job he was re-elected to last fall.

Republicans in the House took heat for not expelling Householder after they voted to oust him as speaker.

But Rep. Bob Cupp (R-Lima), who was elected to replace Householder as Speaker, has noted the Ohio constitution allows a House member to be ousted only once for a given reason. Now that Householder has been re-elected to a two-year term, Cupp said that’s a possibility.

“There's an expulsion the House could do if a majority agree. There’s impeachment, that is another option," Cupp said. "And you’ll recall that I have said in the past I think the honorable thing to do would be for the former speaker to resign."

Cupp said the House will "develop a consensus" in the coming year on what should happen with Householder, who has said he’s innocent of the charges against him.

Cupp has also said this coming year he wants to revisit changes to the nuclear bailout law that Householder championed, which federal prosecutors say was passed as a result of that bribery scandal. While there were several bills to repeal some or all of House Bill 6, no changes were made in 2020.