COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Here’s the realpolitik on the Ohio legislature’s special session:

  • Not a soul showed up to testify about what was supposed to be the session's main purpose, ordered on Thursday by Gov. Mike DeWine. The session's main purpose was to tweak the state’s filing deadline so President Joe Biden’s name could appear on the November ballot.
  • Several people instead appeared before the House Government Oversight Committee to talk about a companion bill designed to bar foreign contributions to statewide issue campaigns in Ohio.

Today’s hearing was the first -- and last -- opportunity for the public to weigh in on the measures. Things were moving so quickly that witnesses sometimes testified on provisions that had already been eliminated.

Perhaps the lack of public interest stemmed from national Democrats’ announcement on Tuesday that they will hold a virtual convention vote to nominate Biden well before the Ohio deadline in early August.

Several witnesses accused Republicans who dominate the legislature of using the foreign contributions issue as a screen to make it more difficult to pass statewide ballot issues after the GOP went 0 for 3 last year.

We know what you’re up to,” Laura Irvin of Lorain County told legislators. “They want to silence us. That's the intent.”

Spencer Dirrig of the Ohio Environmental Councils action fund said:

They are designed to chill grassroots organizations supporting ballot initiatives ... This bill should be called what it is -- an attack on Ohioan's rights to organize."

How much power should the Ohio Attorney General have in ferreting out foreign donors?

Much of the committee hearing testimony revolved around whether the Ohio Attorney General should be given extensive new powers to probe allegations that a campaign is illegally using foreign money.

“I’ve been very careful not to identify all the different ways that things could go wrong giving this kind of power to the attorney general,” said Catherine Turcer, a longtime campaign finance watchdog who now leads Common Cause-Ohio.

But we do know that vesting this kind of power can create problems. It's hard to live up to your better angels. It's hard not to worry about your friends. It's hard not to worry about your political party. It's hard to stand up to pressure from donors.”

Committee Chair Bob Peterson (R-Sabina) said he thinks foreign cash to issues committees is illegal in Ohio -– just as it is for candidates.

“I think there might be a role for the attorney general, but we need to make sure that there are safeguards in place,” he said after the 90-minute hearing.

I think simpler is better in general. You know we have a 20-page bill, and if we can find a way to do it in a four-page bill, I think that's a great thing.”

Turcer urged the panel to stick with the Ohio Elections Commission –- which ruled in 2021 that foreign money is barred from use in issues campaigns. The commission is composed by law of three Democrats, three Republicans and an independent.

There's no reason to break what we have. It works,” she said, noting violators are turned over to the county prosecutor’s office.

Thursday could be a climactic day in the special session called last week by Gov. Mike DeWine.

The Oversight Committee is supposed to unveil promised changes that many Democrats could accept. But the 10:30 a.m. gathering is scheduled for only a half-hour before the entire House convenes.

House Speaker Jason Stevens likely will need Democratic support -- since a majority of GOP members don’t support him after he won the speaker’s job only through Democrats’ backing.

Still unresolved is what to do with a bill making the ballot fix and barring foreign money that the Senate passed Tuesday.

The two branches of the legislature don’t agree on which chamber is following the proper procedure for a special session. The House is starting anew with House Bills 1 and 2, complete with committee hearings. The Senate just amended an existing bill Tuesday and sent it to the House.

I think we've got a lot of great attorneys that work in this building, and unfortunately these great attorneys don't agree on this,” Chair Peterson quipped.

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