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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 27 November 2020
GOP clashes as deadline to repeal tainted bailout law nears

Associated Press longtime lawmaker and
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — two of the men charged
Hopes of repealing an en- have pleaded not guilty to
ergy bailout law are in dan- the charges.
ger at the Ohio Statehouse In the days following the re-
as Republican lawmakers lease of the affidavit, GOP
argue sharply different po- lawmakers acted swiftly. A
sitions on how and whether number of repeal bills were
to repeal the legislation introduced and by the
with only weeks before end of July, the majority
Ohioans begin to pay the party had voted to remove
price. Householder as speaker
In one corner stands vet- and even chose his succes-
eran GOP lawmakers like sor.
Rep. Bill Seitz, ranking mem- In one of his first acts as the
ber of the majority party, newly-appointed speaker,
who believes the Nov. 3 Rep. Bob Cupp, of Lima,
election results solidified created a committee in
the standing of the now- August to oversee the fu-
tainted bailout bill even if In this July 30, 2020 file photo Ohio House Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Butler presides over a House ture of the bailout bill.
federal investigators found session as members of the Ohio House of Representatives vote to remove Rep. Larry Householder But months later, as the
the process of its passage as Speaker of the House on at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. General Assembly is wind-
to be corrupt. Associated Press ing down in a lame duck
"There is no representative session — passing legisla-
and no senator who voted at the center of a $60 mil- lumbus. I did not vote for of shepherding $60 million tion to limit the governor's
yes on House Bill 6, who lost lion bribery probe. it and I am leading the re- in energy company money powers during a pandemic
their reelection bid," Seitz Lanese, also a ranking peal'," Lanese said. "You for personal and political and designating the mon-
said in an interview with member in the House, can't quantify what kind use in exchange for pass- arch butterfly as the state
The Associated Press. "But pushed back on her col- of support I got from that ing a legislative bailout of official butterfly — the
many, several, at least, league's sentiment about but I won my seat by much the plants and then derail- tainted legislation remains
who voted no, lost. So what the election proving not to higher than they thought I ing an attempt to place a intact, with weeks left be-
does that tell you?" be a referendum on what would win by." rejection of the bailout on fore the law will add a fee
Seitz vowed to vote against the FBI determined to be The Grove City Republican the ballot. to every electricity bill in the
any repeal bill brought to the largest bribery scheme introduced the first repeal Householder, also a Repub- state on Jan. 1.
the House for a floor vote in state history. She said her bill on July 23, two days af- lican, was one of the driv- The concern for Republi-
during the next four weeks efforts to repeal the legis- ter the arrest of then-House ing forces behind the nu- cans like Seitz, Cupp and
of the lame duck session. lation actually helped her Speaker Larry Householder clear plants' financial res- committee chairman Jim
In the other corner, there win reelection earlier this and four of his accomplices cue, which added a new Hoops is that repealing the
are Republican Reps. Lau- month. on charges of racketeering fee to every electricity bill in bill outright would have un-
ra Lanese and Mark Ro- "When I went out cam- for their roles in the alleged the state and directed over intended consequences
manchuk. Both lawmakers paigning, I led with that. I scheme to bail out two ag- $150 million a year through and they need more time
introduced a bill this past said 'I'm sure you've heard ing nuclear power plants. 2026 to the plants near to understand the complex
summer to repeal the law about the scandal in Co- The five men are accused Cleveland and Toledo. The legislation.q

U.S. will appeal order barring expulsions of migrant children

that barred expulsions of and not adults or parents night, the Justice Depart-
unaccompanied children and children. At least 8,800 ment cited the spread of
under public health laws. unaccompanied children the virus in border commu-
The Justice Department have been expelled with- nities in Arizona and Texas.
filed a notice of appeal out having a chance to It warned that Sullivan's
Wednesday night to the seek asylum protections order "likely will have an ir-
U.S. Court of Appeals for or speak to a lawyer. Most reversible impact on public
the District of Columbia Cir- people have been ex- health" by straining hospital
cuit. It also asked Sullivan to pelled within hours or days, capacity and forcing the
issue a stay of the injunction though the Trump adminis- government to move "po-
pending appeal, a request tration detained hundreds tentially infected" children
he previously denied. of children for weeks in ho- and teenagers through air-
Since March, border agents tels near the U.S.-Mexico ports.
have expelled 200,000 im- border for days or weeks at The Associated Press re-
In this Aug. 23, 2019 file photo, immigrants seeking asylum walk
at the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center, in Dilley, Texas. migrant adults and chil- a time until another judge ported on Oct. 3 that top
Associated Press dren citing the pandemic barred that practice. officials at the Centers for
and a need to prevent President-elect Joe Biden Disease Control and Pre-
By NOMAAN MERCHANT a policy enacted during the spread of the virus, has said he will reverse sev- vention resisted issuing an
Associated Press the coronavirus pandemic even though COVID-19 is eral of President Donald emergency declaration
HOUSTON (AP) — The U.S. to deny the children asy- spreading broadly through Trump's immigration pro- allowing immigrant expul-
government on Wednes- lum protections. border communities and grams when he takes office sions because it lacked a
day appealed a judge's Judge Emmet Sullivan is- the country at large. in January. Biden has not public health basis, but that
order barring the expulsions sued a preliminary injunc- Sullivan's order only cov- stated whether he will stop Vice President Mike Pence
of immigrant children who tion on Nov. 18 sought by ered children who cross the expulsions of immigrants. ordered the agency to
crossed the border alone, advocates for immigrants border without a parent In its filing Wednesday move forward anyway.q