How the bid to make it harder to amend Ohio's constitution fell apart
Just before lawmakers took off for Thanksgiving last year, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, held a press conference. Details ahead of time were scant, but the advisory promised “reforms which will better protect Ohio’s constitution.”
What they unveiled would dominate the chaotic final weeks of the lame duck legislative session and drive a wedge into the Republican supermajority.
In less than a month, their resolution — requiring constitutional amendments receive 60% support to become law — was effectively dead. Supporters bitterly promised they’d be back, but the episode illuminated divisions within the GOP.
This January, when Kitts Hill Republican Jason Stephens decided to make an upset bid for House Speaker, Democrats had little trouble discerning which candidate would be better for them.
Communications between Secretary LaRose, Rep. Stewart, and their staffers shed light on the behind-the-scenes maneuvering to introduce and advance House Joint Resolution 6. The effort forced a fight that’s still playing out in the Ohio House as Republican factions struggle for control.
https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/03/14/lame-duck-debacle-how-the-bid-to-make-it-harder-to-amend-ohios-constitution-fell-apart/
