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EDITORIALS

Guest view: HB 6 came from corruption; repeal should be simple

Staff Writer
Akron Beacon Journal
Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder walks out of U.S. District Court in Columbus on July 21, 2020, after being charged with being part of a racketeering conspiracy. Federal officials arrested Householder and four colleagues as part of a bribery investigation involving the state's $1.3 billion nuclear plant bailout and Householder's maneuverings to secure support to lead the legislative chamber.

It is frustrating but not surprising that nearly a month after multiple bills to repeal House Bill 6 were introduced in the Ohio General Assembly, little progress has been made.

At first, after spectacular allegations about the bill’s origin were revealed by the U.S. District Attorney on July 21, the Statehouse was seemingly full of people eager to claw back the tainted bill. The charges are that former House Speaker Larry Householder conspired with political associates and an electric utility to illegally funnel massive secret contributions from the utility through a PAC, using the money to ensure Householder would be elected speaker and that HB 6 would pass.

The arrest of Householder and three others on federal racketeering counts led Republicans in the House to remove him as speaker and for several to urge him to resign.

Yet multiple repeal bills are moving slowly if at all. When House Democrats planned to force the issue by attaching repeal amendments to several unrelated bills, House Speaker Bob Cupp on Tuesday abruptly adjourned the session so that Republicans wouldn’t be forced to go on record as voting against repeal.

Cupp called the Democrat-offered amendments “reckless and hasty,” but the Republican response feels a lot like stalling. Sen. Steve Wilson, R-Maineville, chairman of the Energy & Public Utilities Committee, said Tuesday he plans a full slate of hearings on the bipartisan repeal bill in that chamber.

It needn’t be this complicated. The reason repeal is even being considered — the bill’s corrupt origins — is simple and won't change. Lawmakers needn’t re-debate the merits of HB 6; that can be done when they revisit the issue after repeal — this time without the disinformation and political pressure that $60 million paid for the last time around.

Our view remains that the bill was supremely bad policy: a dubious bailout of two nuclear power plants and the unconscionable sabotage of Ohio’s already-weak support and incentives for clean alternative energy. It would have been a bad bill without the corruption.

As it is, lawmakers should erase it from the books. With any luck, better energy policy for Ohio might follow.

Expanding coverage for telehealth

makes sense even post-pandemic

Ohio Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran recently declared, “Expanding telehealth is the silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic.” We’re inclined to agree.

Allowing more health care visits, especially for mental health issues, to take place via telephone, videoconference or other remote technologies is an important way to expand access. While the practice could be subject to abuse, with practitioners simply jamming in more visits to boost revenue, the past five months have shown that many virtual visits can be just as effective, and far easier for patients to manage, as in-person ones.

We support the Department of Medicaid’s proposed rule to expand and make permanent the emergency rule that has allowed Medicaid dollars to pay for more telehealth visits while pandemic restrictions are in place.

In another sign that greater use of telehealth is the wave of the future, Sen. Rob Portman is supporting legislation that would make permanent some temporary federal waivers allowing it.

If Congress ever manages to pass another coronavirus relief bill, it should include Portman’s provision.

For mental health care especially, the added option of seeing a provider from the comfort and safety of home can be invaluable.

— Columbus Dispatch