Column: Ohio House Bill 6 lawsuit raises hidden constitutional concern
In a guest column for The Columbus Dispatch, Evan C. Zoldan, a law professor at the University of Toledo, lays out how the recent lawsuit filed by the cities of Cincinnati and Columbus to stop the collection of an electricity fee imposed by HB 6 brings to light the potential unconstitutionality of the bill.
The lawsuit challenges the fee as an unconstitutional tax, alleging that it was the result of bribery and serves no public purpose. In doing so, Zoldan argues "By alleging that HB 6 was the product of bribery, and that it was designed specifically to benefit a single corporation, the cities’ complaint squarely raises facts that implicate special-legislation concerns. Ultimately, this lawsuit will give the Ohio courts the opportunity to weigh in on this important issue of Ohio constitutional law."