Ohio lawmakers braved the snow to begin the 136th General Assembly on Monday and elect new House and Senate leaders. As in previous years, the likely leaders were chosen by the majority caucuses several months ago. However, unlike lawmakers’ previous votes, these earlier decisions actually stood.
Republican Matt Huffman of Lima has now made a seamless transition from Senate president in the last General Assembly to House speaker. Last year, its majority leader, Napoleon Republican state Sen. Rob McColley, was promoted and will serve as Senate president in the new two-year Assembly.
This history prepared these two men to form an extremely productive partnership. Both houses of the General Assembly will be headed by men with similar legislative views and robust working relationships. This comes balmy on the heels one of the least productive legislative sessions in decades.
As if to underscore that relationship, McColley took a moment before senators took the oath to give Huffman the flag that flew over the Statehouse during his tenure as Senate president. Still, Huffman insisted the two chambers would still have different priorities.
“Look, it’s like an army and a navy,” he said. “We’re both on the same side here, but the Navy wants to do its thing and the Army wants to do its thing.
“So I expect that Senator McColley and the people in the Senate will have their priorities, and our caucus will have their priorities,” he continued. “And often it will be the same, but sometimes it just won’t be.”
What 2025 might look like in Ohio politics
Ohio Senate
In brief remarks, state Sens. Kristina Roegner, R-Hudson, and Susan Manchester, R-Waynesfield, praised McColley’s legislative achievements and attention to detail. No other senators were nominated, and the House approved it unanimously.
“I believe Ohio is at a crossroads right now,” McColley said after taking the oath of office. “An economic crossroads, in many ways a crossroads regarding our destiny and our common future. I believe that if we work together, our best days are ahead of us.”
Members then nominated and confirmed Sen. Bill Reineke, R-Tiffin, as President Pro Tempore, Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, as majority leader, and Sen. George Lang, R-West Chester, as majority whip.
Across the hall, Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, was re-elected minority leader, and Sens. Hearcel Craig, D-Columbus, and Kent Smith, D-Euclid, will remain deputy majority leader and minority whip, respectively. New state Sen. Beth Liston, D-Dublin, who previously served in the Ohio House of Representatives, will serve as deputy minority whip.
In a speech after the vote and the oath of office, McColley provided an overview of what he hopes to accomplish in the upcoming session.
“I think property tax reform will be one of the things we will look at,” McColley said. “There will be a lot of conversations about energy, as there have been over the last few months. Of course, we will jump into the budget, and I imagine there will be a desire to continue with the tax reform that we have done over time.”
When asked about potential energy legislation, McColley expressed interest in making it easier to drill for natural gas in Ohio, but for the most part deferred discussion of policy details until the upcoming legislative rollback.
Minority Leader Nickie Antonio also touched on the issue of property taxes, but placed more emphasis on the importance of building affordable housing.
And while Antonio was quick to point out that they often disagreed on policy, she expressed her appreciation for the working relationship she had built over the past few years with both Huffman and McColley.
“When we call each other, the other person picks up the phone,” she explained.
Antonio seemed confident that the new leaders’ coverage could mean a more productive legislative session, even though internal disagreements among Republicans helped derail the legislation, as did college reform, which Democrats strongly opposed.
“They may or may not agree on everything, but at least they will debate and talk,” argued Antonio. “That’s certainly what the (General Assembly) has lacked in the past.”
Ohio House
The GOP House race is over — at least that’s what the voting looked like. Speaker Matt Huffman won his seat unanimously after a bitter two-year battle between former Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill and some of the caucus.
State Reps. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, and Kevin Ritter, R-Marietta, spoke of unity and integrity when nominating Huffman. No other representative was reported.
“I strive for a professional, fact-based and thorough process for analyzing the law and the bills presented to us; our goal should be clarity and resolution,” Huffman said during his closing speech. “If we can solve the problems, if we can make decisions and move forward, that will be a sign of success and that is what I am committed to.”
The remaining members of the leadership also received near-total support, including Speaker Pro Tempore Gayle Manning, R-North Ridgeville, Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, Majority Floor Leader Marilyn John, R-Richland County, Deputy Majority Floor Leader Adam Bird , R-New Richmond and Majority Whips Riordan McClain, R-Upper Sandusky, Nick Santucci, R-Howland Twp., Steve Demetriou, R-Bainbridge Twp. and Josh Williams, R-Sylvania.
There were three votes on majority leadership: the speaker, speaker pro tem, and other majority officials included in one vote. Huffman and Manning were unanimous. Stephens was the only member to abstain from voting for the remaining majority officers.
For the most part, the Democratic leadership elections also went smoothly. House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, was re-elected, as were Deputy Minority Leader Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, Minority Whip Dani Isaacsohn, D-Cincinnati, and Deputy Minority Whip Michele Grim, D-Toledo.
Four Republicans voted against minority officers, and six Republicans did not vote. The rest, apart from the absent members, voted in favour.
Speaking to reporters after the session, Huffman said the club’s priorities would be determined during his retreat in a few weeks, but he mentioned a few ideas.
He wants to change the marijuana policy adopted by voters in November 2023, revise development regulations in cooperation with local governments, update energy policy and ensure the proper apply of the budget.
“There’s going to be a major energy problem — the way we generate, distribute and pay for energy in the state of Ohio is, in my opinion, antiquated and outdated,” he said.
Huffman also addressed property taxes in connection with public school funding.
“The property tax needs to be addressed and, as I said, it is a two-headed beast,” the speaker said. “You can’t talk about revenue without talking about costs, and those costs… on average, about three-quarters of them are spent in public schools.”
The speaker made further comments about the fair schools funding plan, adding that spending increases planned for the coming fiscal years are “unsustainable.”
“We need to look at whether these dollars are being spent wisely in some districts,” he said.
Russo is concerned about the demolition of the fair school funding plan and says Democrats will fight against changes to the formula. Other Democratic priorities include property tax relief and lowering the cost of goods and services for families, she added.
“There seems to be a lot of agreement, particularly in the area of criminal justice… I think there will be a lot of disagreement on policy and public education… We will continue to push the issue of housing, there is no agreement on priorities.”
Speaker transition
Stephens was also scheduled to deliver a farewell speech.
He spoke about bipartisanship, kindness despite differences and the role lawmakers play in the lives of “everyday” Ohioans.
“Our job is to serve the people, the people of our counties and the people of Ohio – these people who sent us here, to this city, whether they all voted for us to be there or not, they’re all counting on us to work tough to understand problems and make arduous decisions that will ultimately improve their lives,” Stephens said.
The former speaker will continue to serve in the House but will not hold a leadership position.
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