Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine rejects idea of limiting Dr. Amy Acton's powers

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is rejecting proposals to limit the powers of the governor ahead of Dr. Amy Acton taking over in January.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Now that the Democrats have flipped nearly every statewide office and broken the veto-proof majority in the Ohio House, some Republican lawmakers and lobbyists have told me they would push to reduce the new executives' roles.

I asked DeWine if he would veto bills being sent to him that would reduce Acton's power.

"I don't think any governor is going to approve anything, whether you're Democrat or Republican, that would dramatically change the powers of the governor," DeWine told me. "I just don't think that's appropriate."

He said that no legislative leaders have brought proposals directly to him, and he doesn't want to speculate.

"No governor is going to sign a bill that dramatically took away powers of the governor," he continued. "I don't know that that's been proposed or that even will be proposed.

Soon-to-be Senate President Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin) said he will need to "wait and see what comes up on the agenda."

Reineke emphasized bipartisanship and told me that he thinks the GOP will work more closely with the Democrats in the coming General Assembly.

Watch Acton's victory speech on Tuesday night:

Follow Statehouse and Columbus bureau reporter Morgan Trau on X, Instagram and Facebook. Email her at [email protected].