July 28 (UPI) -- State lawmakers in Ohio will decide Tuesday whether to remove House Speaker Larry Householder from his leadership post after his arrest last week on corruption charges.
The House Republican caucus will meet in Columbus to vote on a proposal to remove Householder after he and four others were charged a week ago with violating federal racketeering laws.
A simple majority during Tuesday's secret ballot vote is all that's needed to end Householder's term as speaker, although he would remain a member of the House.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and state Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken are expected to attend the meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Federal prosecutors say Householder, 61, masterminded a bribery conspiracy involving bailouts for two nuclear power plants in northern Ohio owned by FirstEnergy Solutions. The men were paid millions for Householder's help in passing a billion-dollar bailout for the plants, the charges say.
Prosecutors said the group also helped the plants by defeating a ballot initiative to overturn the bailout legislation and ultimately put $60 million in bribes into a shell company.
Also charged were in the case are lobbyists Mathew Borges and Juan Cespedes, lobbyist and former state GOP Chairman Neil Clark and Jeffrey Longstreth, Householder's longtime campaign and political strategist.
All four could spend as many as 20 years in prison, if convicted.