The Ohio House passed internal rules and can now proceed with its work despite an ongoing fight over power within the fractured GOP supermajority, which spurred competing claims about who’s leading Republicans there, shouting by lawmakers during Tuesday’s session and even talk of a possible lawsuit.
The evident disunity in what would usually be an uneventful vote on rules amplifies questions about how lawmakers there will function in the two-year session that began this month, which will include shaping the next state budget.
Earlier Tuesday, a majority of the GOP members elected Rep. Derek Merrin, of Monclova, as the official leader of the House Republican Caucus and its campaign arm, which also puts him in control of its spending.
