Ohio House speaker, former state treasurer get in 'nose-to-nose' confrontation

Credit: Anthony Shoemaker

Credit: Anthony Shoemaker

Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger and State Rep. Kevin Boyce apparently had a heated exchange late Wednesday night after the House of Representatives adjourned for the summer.

Jim Siegel of the Columbus Dispatch reports that toward the end of the night Boyce, D-Columbus, was speaking from the House floor about the Republicans forcing the director of the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee to resign. Boyce started talking about an early amendment to the bill and was silenced by Rosenberger, R-Clarksville.

“Would the gentleman please confine his remarks to the Senate amendments currently at hand,” Rosenberger told him. “We’re not talking about a former amendment.”

Boyce confronted Rosenberger at the podium after.

Siegel writes that "Most of what was said could not be heard, but Boyce’s facial expression and deliberate hand gestures indicated he was fired up. At one point, the two ended up nose-to-nose.

Rosenberger did not give ground. Meanwhile, fearing a physical escalation, his Chief of Staff Mike Dittoe and the House sergeant-at-arms moved in behind the speaker.

'Get out of my face,' Boyce told Rosenberger as the two separated a bit. Boyce had a few other choice words as he moved down the steps."

Before joining the House of Representatives, Boyce served as state treasurer from 2009-10. He lost his bid for re-election to Republican Josh Mandel in 2010.

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