Moderate Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) removed State Representative Scott Wiggam (R-Wayne County) on Thursday from his position as chair of the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee and the committee all together due to Wiggam signing a discharge petition for the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment.
On Wednesday, a group of Republican lawmakers filed a discharge petition on House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1, also known as the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment, which aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.
Lawmakers can discharge a bill or resolution from a committee if it wins the support of a simple majority of House members (50 percent + 1). This implies that even if lawmakers have not approved the resolution out of committee or finished holding hearings, it would automatically advance to the floor for a vote if 50 representatives signed on.
Issues proposed by initiative petitions need to meet a 50 percent voting threshold to amend the Constitution. Under HJR 1, these issues would need to meet a 60 percent threshold.
HJR1, which has 35 Republican co-sponsors, has only had one committee hearing since State Representatives Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) and Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) introduced it in January.
According to Stephens, HJR 1 is a priority for the caucus and went to the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee for review on February 16th, 2023. Stephens said that Wiggam had ample time to hear the resolution and take a vote since then.
“The first and only hearing was not held until March 22nd, five weeks after it was referred. Any complaints about the timing and process for reporting HJR 1 out of the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee lie solely at your feet. I was dismayed to see your name and signature on a discharge petition for HJR 1. By signing a discharge petition to remove a resolution from the very committee you oversee, you have proven that you are ill-equipped to serve as Chair, ” Stephens said.
Stephens’ statement that HJR 1 is a “priority for the caucus” directly contradicts the fact that he did not include it in his list of Republican House priorities he released at the beginning of the year resulting in disappointment from Merrin.
Some Republicans have said that Stephens’ reluctance to support the legislation is directly related to the “deal” he made with the Democrats to win the speaker-ship over GOP pick Merrin.
Merrin stood up for Wiggam, saying that he has advocated for protecting the state Constitution all year.
“Every Pro-Life Ohioan should thank Scott Wiggam for his service. We are only in the 1st quarter fighting for the heart and soul of the Republican Party in the Ohio House. We will defend the unborn and protect our Constitution just like Representative Scott Wiggam has been doing all year,” Merrin said.
State Representative Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville) also defended Wiggam, saying he is not at fault for the delay in the passage of HJR 1
“We have the most pro-life members of our caucus getting blamed for the fault of our Democrat elected “leadership” team. The passage of HJR1 has always been in the hands of Jason Stephens,” Ferguson said.
Stephens replaced Wiggam with State Representative Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) as chair of the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee on Thursday.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Jason Stephens” by State Representative Jason Stephens. Photo “Scott Wiggam” by Ohio House of Representatives. Background Photo “Ohio Statehouse” by Ɱ. CC BY-SA 4.0.
