(The Center Square) – More than four years after House Bill 6 became law and more than five months after Ohio’s former House speaker was convicted in a bribery scandal surrounding it, state lawmakers continue to try to repeal parts of the massive energy company bailout.
Two Senate Democrats introduced three bills that would impact utility bills and remove taxpayer-funded subsidies included in HB6 that continue to be funneled to coal plants.
The General Assembly returns to session at the end of this month.
“Ohioans are still being charged to cover the losses of uneconomic and environmentally expensive coal plants,” said Sen. Hearcel Craig, D-Columbus, the joint sponsor of Senate Bill 151. “Ohio ratepayers should not be bailing out the poor business decisions of investor-owned utilities, particularly for power plants that are not even in Ohio. We must finally repeal the last vestiges of House Bill 6.”
Craig and Sen. Kent Smith, D-Euclid, and policy groups said passage of SB151 would provide millions of dollars of relief to state ratepayers.
“Corruption made HB6 possible, and we have continuously called on members of the General Assembly to repeal the OVEC subsidies as an important step in restoring faith in our government by standing up for real, everyday Ohio consumers,” said Kyle Marcum of Ohio Citizen Action, a policy organization that advocates for public interests. “We are hopeful that this legislation will help us take that step.”
Also introduced was a bill that would attempt to prohibit public utility providers from passing on lobbying expenses to ratepayers by creating penalties and requiring stronger disclosure of political spending.
The final legislation would increase the number of people eligible for utility shutoff protections to include households with a child under age 5 or a person over 65, somebody with a disability, illness or pregnancy, and people with an income below 200% of the federal poverty level.
“The reality that we must face, is the Ohio Legislature has done nothing to prevent a scandal similar to House Bill 6 from unfolding in the future,” Smith said. “As an elected official, my duty is to represent the people, not powerful utility companies. Our state thrives when we prioritize the well-being of our constituents. Senate Bills 149, 150 and 151 will reign in the excessive political influence of these utility monopolies, provide much-needed relief to ratepayers and protect our most vulnerable populations from the harsh consequences of utility shutoffs. Let’s put the public back into public utilities.”
