Huffman allies take over House GOP campaign arm: Capitol Letter

Rotunda RumblingsUnder new management: Not only is the Ohio House GOP's campaign apparatus no longer controlled by House Speaker Jason Stephens, but it's now in the hands of the top political consultants to Senate President Matt Huffman. Jeremy Pelzer explains what the ramifications of High Bridge Consulting's takeover could be, including how it could affect the looming intraparty battle between Stephens and Huffman for the speaker's gavel next session. The development follows a Friday court ruling, which Stephens is appealing, that took control of the Ohio House Republican Alliance campaign committee out of Stephens and his allies' hands and turned it over to a Republican rival.

School rules: Laura Hancock juxtaposes bipartisan legislation in the Ohio House known as the "CAMPUS Act," which would require colleges and universities to create task forces to combat anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and anti-Christian hate and harassment with a Senate bill that would make more sweeping changes in an attempt to rid campuses of perceived liberal bias by banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and requiring colleges to affirm a commitment to intellectual diversity, among other requirements. Critics of the Senate bill are hopeful that the House bill replaces it. But no bill is dead until the end of the year, when the two-year legislative session adjourns.

Bills, bills, bills: As expected, it's shaping up to be a busy week of legislating in Columbus. Per Andrew Tobias and Pelzer , the House Rules Committee referred dozens of bills for a vote, possibly as soon as the House's session on Wednesday, the last day lawmakers are supposed to be in town before their summer break. One notable example was Senate Bill 94, legislation that previously had to do with county recorder's offices that was stuffed with 100 pages worth of amendments, including the aforementioned CAMPUS Act.

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Big bucks: The U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding a $19.5 million grant that will allow Cleveland Metroparks and the City of Cleveland to begin constructing two major improvements to the pedestrian and bike trail network on Cleveland's east side that will improve safety, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced on Tuesday, Sabrina Eaton reports. Brown also announced a $1.5 million investment through the same Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Transportation Discretionary Grant Program that will enable the City of Lorain to begin planning improvements to the East 36th Street corridor.

East Palestine lessons: After more than a year of investigating the causes of a 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday released a report that found multiple factors including miscommunications and badly designed train cars contributed to the disaster, Eaton writes. "We're here to ensure that the lessons of the derailment lead to meaningful change so no other communities need to relive the challenges faced by the people of East Palestine," National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham said at a meeting in East Palestine, where the board grilled NTSB staff members on the report.

The wheels of justice... Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins has delayed for the second time his final ruling on Ohio's six-week "heartbeat" abortion ban until Aug. 13. The ruling was first supposed to come on May 20. Then it was moved to Tuesday. On Tuesday afternoon, Jenkins gave himself more time. Jenkins is expected to look at the law, which has been on hold for more than a year due to the lawsuit, and the newly passed abortion rights constitutional amendment and determine whether the law stands up.

Making the Yost of it: Laura Bischoff with the USA Today Ohio Bureau notes all the various ways Republican Attorney General Dave Yost has ended up in the news lately and wonders: will it all add up to a run for governor in 2026?

Odd couple: Former Republican Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell and ex-Democratic congressman Zack Space are the new co-chairs of the Ohio chapter for a bipartisan elections integrity organization called the Defend Democracy Project. A statement from Blackwell, who backed ex-President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election said: "I've seen members of both major political parties spew dangerous rhetoric when challenging election results, and if someone tries that in 2024, we're going to call them out on it."

: Trump could announce his running-mate pick for this year's election rematch as soon as this week, possibly ahead of Thursday's presidential candidate debate, according to NBC News . Sen. JD Vance of Ohio reportedly is among the three finalists.

Lobbying Lineup Five organizations lobbying on House Bill 44, a bipartisan bill that requires the Ohio Parole Board to make electronic recordings of its hearings and send them to anyone who asks. The bill was introduced on Feb. 15, 2023 and hasn't moved. State filings don't indicate which side of the issue these organizations are on.

On The Move Lynanne Gutierrez, president of Groundwork Ohio, an organization that advocates for young children, will also become CEO beginning on July 1. Current CEO Shannon Jones, a former Republican state lawmaker who led the organization for eight years, will transition to a strategic advisory role through the end of the year, a statement from the organization said.

Ex-Ohio House Speaker Vern Riffe (1925-1997)

Straight From The Source Q. "Do you see perhaps doing marijuana tomorrow?"

Jamie Callender: "On a personal level, I think we'll be too busy. Maybe tomorrow night."

Q. "But legislation?"

Callender: "Oh, why would we do that?"

-Light banter between state Rep. Jamie Callender, a Lake County Republican who supports recreational marijuana legalization, and reporters on Tuesday morning at the Ohio Statehouse.