Ohio Supreme Court continues freeze on Sam Randazzo’s assets: Capitol Letter

The Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center in Columbus houses the Ohio Supreme Court.

Rotunda Rumblings

Randazzo’s money: The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against former top state utilities regulator Sam Randazzo and allowed the state to freeze millions in his assets before a trial on bribery charges. Jake Zuckerman reports on the ruling and what it means for Randazzo, who’s facing dueling civil and criminal bribery accusations.

No trial date: In other Randazzo news, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black granted a 45-day continuance of the criminal case against Randazzo as both parties exchange “voluminous” amounts of evidence. Attorneys for Randazzo also suggested they may in the future seek a change of venue, which could mean a new judge overseeing the case.

Know your audience: A new bill in the Ohio Senate would require pornographic websites to verify their users’ ages to prevent minors from accessing them. Laura Hancock reports that this is the latest bipartisan effort in Ohio and across the U.S. to end children’s viewing of the websites, which bill supporters say contribute to the youth mental health crisis and distorts young people’s views of sex and relationships.

Form reform: Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday that changes are needed to prevent a little-known state law from preventing transgender candidates from running for office. Per Jeremy Pelzer, DeWine didn’t specify exactly what that change should be, but his comment comes after three transgender state legislative candidates recently faced eligibility questions due to the law, which requires political applicants to state on their declaration of candidacy forms any prior names they’ve used in the past five years. The forms make no reference to the law, which the candidates said they were unaware of.

Tax credit? A tax deal reached between U.S. House and Senate negotiators would ensure that residents of Ohio’s East Palestine don’t have to pay taxes on disaster relief payments and increase the child tax credit for low-income families, Sabrina Eaton reports. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, called it “a win-win that will cut taxes for Ohio families and Ohio manufacturers.” Top members of the tax-writing committees said they’d like Congress to sign off on the $78 billion deal before the end of the month, when tax filing season begins, although it could be a struggle for a sharply divided Congress to pass anything during an election year.

The clock’s run out, time’s up: Ohioan Vivek Ramaswamy ended his presidential campaign on Monday after finishing in fourth place in the Iowa caucus. As Andrew Tobias writes, Ramaswamy, who has been mentioned as a potential future candidate for state political office, immediately endorsed ex-President Donald Trump, who won the caucus with 51% of the vote.

Spiking the ball: The Cleveland Browns may have lost last weekend’s playoff game to the Houston Texans, but Sen. Brown declared political victory before the game when Tegna and DirectTV reached an agreement that would allow DirecTV users to watch the game two days after he called on executives to end the dispute. “Ohioans don’t care about contract disputes between TV executives – they want to be able to check the local weather, cheer on their favorite teams, and stay up to date on local news without disruption,” said a statement from Brown.

Sign of the times: The Federal Highway Administration is telling state departments of transportation, including the Ohio Department of Transportation, that messages on electronic highway signs with pop culture or funny messages need to end in the next two years. The feds say the messages can be misunderstood or take time to figure out, Karen Kasler reports.

Cash for attendance: A new bill in the Ohio House would pay some kindergarteners and ninth graders in schools up to $500, plus at least $250 for students who graduate from high school. The bipartisan bill is targeted at schools where kids miss class at least 10% of the time, the Columbus Dispatch’s Laura Bischoff reports.

Lobbying Lineup

Five organizations registered to lobby on Senate Bill 60, which would create a licensing system for certified mental health assistants.

1. Ohio Department of Higher Education

2. Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers

3. Summa Health System

4. National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Ohio (NAMI OHIO)

5. Ohio Hospital Association

On the Move

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, a 2026 candidate for governor, has endorsed Donald Trump for president.

Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, has endorsed Bernie Moreno for Senate. Barrasso is the number-three ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat, will host a free telephone town hall with constituents on Wednesday, Jan. 17, from 6-7 p.m. Constituents can RSVP here to participate, or watch live on Facebook @repemiliasykes.

Dan McCarthy and Brad McClean have founded Northway Advisors, which they say will help corporations, trade associations and other organizations navigate Ohio’s political landscape. McCarthy is a former legislative adviser to Gov. Mike DeWine, and McClean is a former president of AT&T of Ohio.

Birthdays

Morgan Trau, Ohio Statehouse reporter for WEWS-TV

Straight from the Source

“In 2012, Ohio farmer David Brandt became internet famous for his phrase ‘it ain’t much, but it’s honest work.’”

– Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate, demonstrating his Internet meme knowledge in an op-ed that otherwise criticizes government subsidies for wind and solar projects, which he said can encroach on rural property rights. (Brandt passed away last year.)

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. Subscribe to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.

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