November 2020

Beckerisms

Impeachment

As you may know, I’ve been leading the effort to impeach Governor DeWine and to restore the rule of law. To that end, 12 articles of impeachment have now been officially filed with the Ohio House Clerk. Joining me as co-sponsors are Representatives Keller, Vitale, and Zeltwanger. 
Additionally, I’ve asked Speaker Cupp to assign the articles to my Federalism Committee. As chairman, my plan is to have two hearings and then advance it to the House floor for a final vote to send to the Senate for trial.

Senate Bill 311

SB 311 passed the Senate and the House. It is awaiting Governor DeWine’s promised veto.
It has two key provisions:

1. Prohibits the Department of Health (ODH) from issuing a general, mandatory statewide or regional quarantine or isolation order that applies to and is enforced against individuals who have not been either directly exposed to or medically diagnosed with the disease that is the subject of the order.
2. Allows the General Assembly to adopt a concurrent resolution to rescind certain ODH orders or rules for preventing the spread of contagious or infectious diseases.

SB 311 is good legislation and a great start. But it doesn’t go far enough. The bill does not address Governor DeWine’s weaponing of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and the Division of Liquor Control. SB 311 is limited to the ODH and doesn’t address potential abuses by local health departments.
Regardless, what will happen when the Governor vetoes the bill? It would go back to the Senate for action. The Senate has failed to act on SB 1 and SB 55. Based on that history, I won’t be surprised if the Senate fails to act on SB 311 as well.

House Bill 618 – Need Ohio Working (NOW) Act

In a sentence, HB 618 reduces Governor DeWine’s Covid orders to advisory, rather than under penalty of 90 days in jail and a fine of $750, unless the General Assembly approves the orders. The bill has 12 co-sponsors and had its last hearing on November 17th in the State and Local Government Committee. Nearly 100 people submitted written or in-person support at that hearing. That’s huge!
I’m drafting an amendment that does three things:

1. Specifies that General Assembly approval is by concurrent resolution. That means a simple up or down vote by the House and Senate.
2. Adds language that in addition to the Governor’s orders, no state agency shall carry out those orders without General Assembly concurrent approval. This addresses the “whack-a-Mole” game that the Governor has been playing by weaponizing the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and the Division of Liquor Control.
3. Reduces the penalties that can be imposed by the ODH and the local health departments to a warning on the first offense and $100 per offense thereafter.

Additionally, I have two more amendments I’m considering:

1. No state agency, board, officer, official, or local subdivision (including k-12 public schools and public colleges and universities) shall issue a general, mandatory statewide, regional, or local order requiring face coverings that applies to and is enforced against individuals who have not been either directly exposed to or medically diagnosed with and is considered to be at a high or moderate risk of transmitting the disease that is the subject of the order.
2. No state agency, board, officer, official, or local subdivision (including k-12 public schools and public colleges and universities) shall issue a general, mandatory statewide, regional, or local order requiring a vaccine for COVID-19.

Chairman Wiggam supports the bill and wants to vote it out provided that a majority of the committee members support the bill.
You could help by reaching out to the members listed below.
The position of the following Republicans is either unknown or they are undecided. I’ve personally reached out to each one. They are:
Representative Ginter: Rep05@OhioHouse.gov
Representative Greenspan: Rep16@OhioHouse.gov
Representative Hambley: Rep69@OhioHouse.gov
Representative Smith: Rep43@OhioHouse.gov
Representative Swearingen: Rep89@OhioHouse.gov
Representative Wilkin: Rep91@OhioHouse.gov

Based on their voting records, the below Democrats are likely NO votes:
Representative Kelly: Rep31@OhioHouse.gov
Representative Kent: Rep25@OhioHouse.gov
Representative Russo: Rep24@OhioHouse.gov
Representative Skindell: Rep13@OhioHouse.gov
Representative Sobecki: Rep45@OhioHouse.gov
Representative Strahorn: Rep39@OhioHouse.gov

Private Citizen Affidavits (PCAs)

The September and October 2020 editions of The Becker Report explains much of the detail. The 20 counties that I know of where PCAs have been filed or delivered are: Adams, Allen, Ashtabula, Brown, Clermont, Franklin, Greene, Hancock, Highland, Lake, Lorain, Marion, Miami, Montgomery, Pickaway, Richland, Summit, Union, Warren, and Wood Counties. Only 68 more to go!

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.
HB 753 – Creates a new negligent assault offense. This bill is named “Parker’s Law” and is for a little boy that was injured by an adult.

Video Central

BeckerGOP YouTube Channel

August 24, 2020 – Introduction of the 10 Articles of Impeachment against Governor Mike DeWine (33 minutes)
August 27, 2020 – Update on impeachment (16 minutes)
August 29, 2020 – State Representative, John Becker speaking at the Unifying Ohio for Liberty rally (22 minutes)
August 31, 2020 The Becker Report – August 2020 (15 minutes)
September 6, 2020 – Impeach DeWine Update (3 minutes)
September 13, 2020 – Impeachment Update, with potential criminal charges, against Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (19 minutes)
September 20, 2020 – Impeachment Update – Is Gov. DeWine Pro-Life? Is HB 272 “feel good” legislation? (12 minutes)
September 28, 2020 – Private Citizen Affidavit (2 minutes)
September 30, 2020 – The September issue of The Becker Report (3 minutes)
October 6, 2020 – Writ of Mandamus (8 minutes)
October 12, 2020 – Columbus Day Part 1 – Election Update – French and Kennedy – Ohio Supreme Court – Shea (5 minutes)
October 12, 2020 – Columbus Day Part 2 – Governor DeWine Review – How did we get to where we are today? (6 minutes)
October 19, 2020 – Update on Impeachment, Private Citizen Affidavits, and Writ of Mandamus Against Governor DeWine (5 minutes)
October 26, 2020 – Becker Calls for the Resignation of AG Dave Yost and Files Motion for Sanctions in Twelfth District (4 minutes)
October 30, 2020 – October issue of The Becker Report (8 minutes)
November 2, 2020 – Vote Trump 2020 (7 minutes)
November 12, 2020 – Governor DeWine Weaponizing the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (6 minutes)
November 26, 2020 – Thanksgiving Day update – Private Citizen Affidavits filed/delivered in 20 counties (5 minutes)
November 30, 2020 – The November issue of The Becker Report (4 minutes)

Other (less important) videos
PragerU: Defining Liberty (5 minutes)
PragerU: Do You Understand the Electoral College? (5 minutes)
PragerU: Abundant, Clean, and Safe (5 minutes)
Bill Whittle: The Stolen Election, Part One: AMERICAN PRAVDA (11 minutes)
Janet Folger: Why I am CERTAIN Trump will win a 2nd term (5 minutes)
Janet Folger: PROOF Why Trump Will Win Part 2 (8 minutes)
Janet Folger: This is our 1775 (6 minutes)
PragerU: You Can’t Be Free Without This (5 minutes)
PragerU: The End of Women’s Sports (5 minutes)
Board Certified doctors speak out on misinformation surrounding Covid (36 minutes)

 

Event Calendar 

Note that all dates, times, and locations are subject to change.

December 7, 2020
Union Township GOP meeting Norlyn Manor at 7 PM.

December 25, 2020
Merry Christmas! 

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?