Legislative maneuverings alive and well

COLUMBUS — Law-makers can be such scaredy cats sometimes.

For as much mud slinging as they do out on the campaign trail, you’d think at least a few would be willing to stand up and speak their mind and, at least on occasion, vote their conscience without hiding behind parliamentary procedure.

That didn’t appear to be the case last week in Columbus, where the Democrat-controlled House finally pushed through a bill prohibiting discrimination against employees and tenants based on their sexual orientation.

For supporters, the final affirmation was a long time coming, the culmination of years of work that never made it to a friendly floor vote. Though it looks like its dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate — that chamber’s President Bill Harris, from Ashland, said it would at least get a committee hearing. I wouldn’t expect it to get much more.

The wimpy part of the story came during the floor debate on the bill. House Democrats offered a amendment, making several seemingly unnecessary word changes. Come to find later, it was a maneuver to block a Republican amendment that the bill’s backers didn’t want to see come to a public vote for fear that they might lose some election-year endorsements.

That amendment, offered by Rep. Gerald Stebelton, a Republican from Fairfield County, would have added protections for those being accused of discriminating against homosexuals — specifically if the allegations turned out not to be true.

Out of order

Stebelton offered the amendment, but it was ruled out of order under a section of the rules of the House that essentially disallow amendments to paragraphs that have already been amended. Since the Democrats already inserted a few words to the paragraphs in question, the Republicans could not go back and do the same.

It’s a maneuver used by both parties (whichever is in control) three or four times a session, said Rep. Lou Blessing, a Republican from southwestern Ohio who has been in the Legislature for more than 25 years.

“Stebelton’s amendment would have put some defenses in for businesses if they didn’t know someone was gay, and it put some other defenses in,” he said. “It was supported by the [chamber of commerce]. ... [The Democrats’ amendment] did nothing. It actually said, this state law shall not affect any federal law, as if it could anyway.”

Like the much-used tabling of amendments, it prevents a floor vote on an issue. And lawmakers don’t have to go public with a “yes” or “no” on controversial topics.

Rep. Peggy Lehner, a Republican from Kettering, broke ranks with her party and voted in favor of the bill.

But not before chastising those on the other side of the aisle for preventing a debate on the Republicans’ amendment.

“I am deeply disturbed by what’s happened here today,” she said. “This is a difficult vote. What I have seen happen here today is something I have seen happen far too often since I arrived here eight months ago. The amendment that was offered [by the Democrats] did one thing: It blocked the consideration of another amendment that some people did not want to have to vote on.”

And I think it’s high time this body, both sides of the aisle, started engaging in full debate on issues and not be concerned about who might be taking a roll call vote on issues.”

X Marc Kovac is the Dix Capital Bureau Chief. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at Ohio Capital Blog