COLUMBUS, Ohio—Legislation seeking to erase “dark-money” political spending from Ohio was introduced Monday by Republican state lawmakers.
House Bill 762, dubbed the “Light of Day” bill, would create sweeping new requirements for corporations, unions, nonprofits, LLCs and other organizations to disclose their state-level political spending, as well as their donors. Groups that make political donations would have to create separate accounts earmarked specifically for such spending and publicly report contributors to and spending from such accounts.
The legislation follows the arrest of Republican ex-House Speaker Larry Householder on a charge that he oversaw a $60 million bribery scheme to pass House Bill 6, which gives lucrative subsidies to nuclear, coal, and solar power plants, using FirstEnergy Corp. money that was distributed using a network of dark-money groups that don’t have to publicly report their donors or spending under current law.
But while the bill is sponsored by 15 House Republicans – many of whom voted for HB6 – it’s unclear whether the legislation will have the support needed to speed through the GOP-controlled Ohio General Assembly before the current legislative session ends in December.
State Rep. Diane Grendell, a Geauga County Republican co-sponsoring HB762, said in an interview that even if HB6 is repealed, as some lawmakers are seeking to do, it wouldn’t stop the dark money at the heart of the HB6 scandal.
“It’s far better than repealing House Bill 6,” Grendell said. “This is what people want.”
Asked whether HB762 could pass by the end of the year, Grendell replied, “I hope so.”
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