July 2020 – John Becker, CTP, MBA for Union Township Trustee

July 31 2020

The Becker Report – July 2020

Beckerisms

Congratulations to the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, Bob Cupp!

How did that happen?

On July 30, 2020, the Ohio House of Representatives voted to fire Larry Householder from the position of Speaker but not fire him as a State Representative. That will be up to his voters.
Leading up to that event, five candidates stepped up to become the new Speaker. Those candidates were Representatives Bob Cupp, Jim Butler, Tim Ginter, Craig Riedel, and Rick Carfagna.
Each of those last three candidates dropped out of the Speaker’s race and endorsed Bob Cupp.
The Ohio House of Representatives (99 members – although not all present) met at 10:00 AM to fire Larry Householder and declare the Speaker’s chair open.
At 1:30 PM, the Republican caucus (59 of the 61 total Republican State Representatives) met in a private caucus room for a closed door meeting and a secret ballot vote. The choice was Bob Cupp or Jim Butler. The caucus rule and tradition is for a majority of the full caucus (31 of 61 members) to determine a winner and then vote unanimously for that person on the House floor.
Neither candidate won 31 votes. With two members missing, the secret ballot vote was 30 to 29. Not knowing which candidate was leading, we held a second secret ballot vote to change the rule and to anoint the candidate with 30 votes as the Republican caucus winner to be Speaker. That person was revealed as Bob Cupp.
The next step was to go back into official House session for the ceremonial public nomination from the House floor for Bob Cupp. No other candidates were nominated. Bob Cupp officially ran unopposed but still needed 50 votes to “win.” He got them and is now the new Speaker. Had he not gotten the 50 votes on the house floor, additional rounds of voting would have occurred until the 11th round. That’s when a plurality becomes the winning number. Considering that Bob Cupp was the only candidate, he would have only needed one vote in the 11th round of voting. Therefore, it was a done deal either way.

Okay Becker. Who did you vote for?

Before I ever considered voting for Jim Butler, I outlined the qualifications that I believed were paramount:

Pro-Life.
Pro-Second Amendment Rights.
Fiscal and social conservative.
A person who could support, defend, and promote the Christian conservative values of Southern Ohio.
Term Limited so that the new crop of legislators could pick their own Speaker in January.
The gravitas to lead the chamber and our candidates to victory in November.

After considering all of that, Speaker Pro Tempore, Jim Butler, was the obvious choice. But I didn’t know if he was interested. He was. He and four other candidates eventually materialized. Of those five, it was a no-brainer. Jim Butler was my candidate to be Speaker.
I voted for Jim Butler in the secret ballot private caucus meeting of the Republican House members. He lost to Bob Cupp by one vote. On the House floor, Bob Cupp was the only nominee for the position. He officially ran unopposed. I, like nearly all members of “Team Butler,” voted for Bob Cupp as our official on the record vote. A few Republicans joined the Democrats and voted no. For me (and nearly all of “Team Butler”), it was just a matter of accepting the results and moving on.

Is the former Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, Larry Householder, a Crook?

This is what I want to believe

I want to believe that Larry Householder is not corrupt and would never engage in illegal activities.
I want to believe that Larry Householder is an honorable man.
I want to believe that Larry Householder is above reproach.
I want to believe that Larry Householder will be exonerated of all charges against him.
However, based on my reading of the 81 page affidavit, I have to believe that the indictment was inevitable. It is because of that, I believe that Larry Householder could no longer effectively lead the Ohio House of Representatives. That is why I was among the first to publicly call for his immediate resignation.

Becker Press Release regarding Speaker Larry Householder

For Immediate Release
July 22, 2020
State Representative John Becker Calls for the Immediate Resignation of Speaker Larry Householder
He needs to fully concentrate on responding to these charges
COLUMBUS – State Representative John Becker (R-Union Township, Clermont County) made the following statement:

I believe in the rule of law. I believe that all accused retain their innocence until proven guilty. Justice demands that the facts see the light of day. While I hope for the exoneration of Speaker Larry Householder, if I were the one facing such serious charges, I would resign and believe that he should do the same. Yes, due to the federal affidavit unsealed yesterday, I’m calling on the immediate resignation of my friend, Speaker Householder, from the Ohio House of Representatives so that he can fully concentrate on defending himself against the charges.

I’ve known Speaker Householder since January 2017 when he and I became seat mates in the Ohio House chamber. As we developed a friendship, he gained my trust, respect, and support.

Furthermore, he and I have had a number of one-on-one frank discussions. At no time did I ever have any reason to suspect that he would do anything to skirt the law. Additionally, I’ve never detected even the slightest hint of impropriety in his efforts to serve Ohioans.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio has laid out an extensively-researched, very detailed affidavit. If the allegations are true, I sincerely hope that a fair trial is held, the Speaker is remorseful for his actions, and that justice is served regarding the very serious allegations against the Speaker.

The Ohio House of Representatives must resume the important work of reopening society in Ohio, restoring trust in our public officials, and regaining the hope that the sun will rise on a bright future.

Becker Bills in the Ohio House of Representatives

HR 55 – Build the Wall. This resolution urging congress to fund a physical barrier across the southern border has been assigned to the Transportation Committee and has had one hearing.
HB 39 – Replica Vehicles. John Patterson asked me to do this bipartisan bill with him. It creates a special category for these unique vehicles. It is in the Transportation Committee.
HB 153 – Working Officials Requirements Key (WORK) Act. This bill requires county elected officials to show up at their office at least five times every 30 days. It is in the State and Local Government Committee and has had two hearings.
HB 176 – Convention and Visitors’ Bureaus. This is a bill I’m doing with Tom Brinkman. It requires open records.
HB 182 – Abortion Insurance Coverage. The bill stops insurance companies from paying for abortions. It does not apply to self-insured private companies nor does it prevent any company from directly contracting with an abortionist. It has been assigned to the Insurance Committee and has had its first hearing.
HB 219 – Sunday Alcohol, Liquor, and Especially Spirits Act (SALES). I’m doing this bill with Representative Jim Hoops. In short, HB 219 removes the Sunday option. All businesses currently allowed to sell alcohol during the week will also be allowed Sunday sales. Voters retain the option to vote their precinct dry. It has been incorporated into HB 674 and requires no further action.
HB 389 – Allows nonprofit organizations to give away alcohol for fundraising purposes. John Rogers reached out to me to do this bipartisan bill. It simply legalizes the common practice of churches raffling off booze at fundraisers.
HB 505 – Restores local control for zoning authority of halfway houses. This is a bipartisan bill. Representative Crossman asked to be part of it.
HB 538 – Human Life Protection Act – Upon the reversal of Roe v. Wade, Ohio becomes a pro-life state.
HB 618 – Need Ohio Working – (NOW) – This bill reopens Ohio for business and prevents the abuse of power from happening again. It has been assigned to the State and Local Government committee.
HB 674 – Revises alcohol laws. Brett Hillyer and I teamed up to get this passed. The bill incorporates HB 219 (SALES) and other reforms. It passed the Ohio House and was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources, chaired by Sen. Frank Hoagland.

Video Central

Event Calendar

August 3, 2020
Union Township Republican GOP meeting at Norlyn Manor at 7 PM.

August 19, 2020
Tentative Clermont County GOP meeting at an undetermined time and location.

Becker – Vetted, Tested, and Proven!

“Clermont County State Rep. John Becker, one of the most conservative members of the Ohio House…” according to Cleveland.com (August 2019).
Becker wins “Sponsor of Liberty” award by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Ohio (October 2018).
“Becker has a legitimate claim as the state’s most conservative legislator,” according to The [Cleveland] Plain Dealer (September 2017).
“Rep. John Becker, suburban Cincinnati Republican… [holds] the unofficial title as the General Assembly’s most conservative lawmaker,” proclaimed the Columbus Dispatch (September 2015).
Becker wins prestigious William Wilberforce Leadership Award (April 2015). “GOP Ohio House freshman Becker is no shrinking violet,” headlined the Columbus Dispatch (December 2014).
“Becker…is arguably the most conservative member of the Ohio House,” said The Cincinnati Enquirer (January 2014).
Ranked as a top tier “most archconservative” by the Columbus Dispatch (September 2013).

If you prefer to donate online, please click this link or one of my donate buttons at www.BeckerGOP.com.

Introduction (38 seconds)	Second Amendment (36 seconds)
Taxes (49 seconds)	Energy (55 seconds)
Pro-Life (42 seconds)	Creation Science and Evolution (42 sec.)
State Government Spending (45 sec.)
State Government (37 seconds)

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Disclaimer
Nothing in this newsletter constitutes legal advice. I am not an attorney and do not play one on TV. This newsletter is not sanctioned by the GOP, ORP, or any organization, or affiliation. Much of it is simply my opinion. I am fully and solely responsible for my opinion. Although I strive for accuracy, this is not “The Gospel according to John.” Additionally, I don’t necessarily try to be “fair and balanced.” After all, I didn’t get into politics to be a news reporter. My agenda is to influence public policy consistent with Southern Ohio conservative values. For more information on my motivations or how to get involved, see: What is a Central Committee?