HB 6 scandal proves it's time to shed light on dark money groups in Ohio | Editorial

The ripple effects from one of the nation’s largest corruption scandals are still being felt across Ohio. But how much has really changed since the House Bill 6 transgressions first came to light nearly four years ago?

Not enough.

In July 2020, FBI agents arrested five men in the public corruption case involving Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. funneling $60 million in bribes through dark money groups to pass and defend House Bill 6.

The main purpose of HB 6: to provide subsidies for two nuclear power plants owned by a company that was, at the time, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy.

Ex-House Speaker Larry Householder is serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison for his role in the scandal and is facing additional state charges.

In February, a Summit County grand jury indicted former FirstEnergy President and CEO Chuck Jones and Michael Dowling, FirstEnergy’s ex-senior vice president of external affairs, on scores of state felony charges related to their alleged roles in the HB 6 scandal.

Despite the nefarious way HB 6 was enacted, only portions of the measure have been repealed.

The subsidies of about 85 cents per month, or $170 million a year over six years, for the nuclear power plants were repealed in March 2021, about a year after the scandal blew up.

But HB 6 also includes a subsidy for two coal-fired power plants. Electricity customers are still paying a fee of as much as $1.50 a month through 2030 to support those plants — the Kyger Creek plant in Cheshire in southern Ohio and Clifty Creek in Madison, Indiana.

Additionally, the parts of HB 6 that reduced energy efficiency and renewable energy are still in effect.

In July 2020, Ohio House Democrats introduced a bill to repeal House Bill 6 in its entirety. Not surprisingly, given the Democrats’ minority status in the state legislature, the measure died in committee.

In a press release announcing the bill, two of the measure’s co-sponsors accurately summed up the situation:

“Corruption has no place in our government, regardless of political party. When corruption is revealed, it is important we act quickly to fix what has been broken,” said Rep. Michael J. Skindell (D-Lakewood). “With deeply gerrymandered districts, Republican politicians feel invincible and are more beholden to special interest groups and corporations than they are to their own constituents. HB 6 was the manifestation of this alleged corruption.”

“House Bill 6, whether good policy or not, was founded on and funded by a scheme to defraud taxpayers and circumvent the will of the people of our state. It should be repealed,” said Rep. Michael O’Brien (D-Warren). “Recent events have been a black eye for our institution, and our legislation is the first step toward repairing the damage to the public trust caused by Republican leaders in the Ohio House.”

Making matters worse, Ohio has done nothing to shed light on dark money groups in the wake of HB 6, unlike some other states that faced similar scandals.

In Arizona, for instance, a utility spent millions through dark money groups to hand-pick candidates with influence over customers' electric bills. Voters responded by passed legislation to unmask the donors behind dark money groups influencing their politics

It’s time for Ohio to truly right the wrongs of House Bill 6.

Repeal HB 6 in its entirety and enact reforms to keep a similar scandal from happening again.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio HB 6 scandal proves its time to shed light on dark money groups