State Rep. Jeff Hoover may have stepped down from his position as speaker of the House, but he’s not going away quietly.
Hoover continues to lash out against fellow lawmakers who filed a complaint to have him expelled from the chamber because of sexual harassment allegations.
That complaint process was created under a week-old disciplinary rule, which Hoover said was written to specifically punish him — it creates an investigatory committee if at least two lawmakers file a complaint against another member.
An investigatory committee is currently meeting daily to discuss the Hoover allegations.
On Tuesday, Hoover proposed his own rule that would make lawmakers liable for expenses if they request another lawmaker to be expelled but fail.
Hoover compared the proposal to “tort reform” policies supported by many Republicans.
“They want to get up and talk about tort reform and how it's needed," said Hoover. "An aspect of tort reform is if you file a lawsuit and you make allegations and you are not successful, you have to pay the cost and the fees."
On Monday, Hoover delivered a blistering speech on the House floor, accusing Gov. Matt Bevin and eight Republican lawmakers of seeking to have him expelled, and others of spreading “lies from hell,” referring to details surrounding a sexual harassment complaint filed by a staffer last fall.
Hoover resigned his leadership position, but said he would keep his seat in the state House of Representatives.
First reported by Courier Journal, Hoover and three other GOP lawmakers settled the complaint for an undisclosed amount of money. Hoover admitted to exchanging sexually charged text messages with the woman, but denies sexually harassing or having sex with the woman.
The scandal has split Republicans in the state capitol, especially in the House, where some members have been pushing to reinstall Hoover as speaker.
Bevin has called for Hoover and everyone else involved in the scandal to resign.
Rep. Phil Moffett, one of the Republicans who filed the complaint against Hoover, said that the new proposed rule would put too much financial liability on complainants.
“This is about disciplining the House and our obligation — moral obligation — to discipline our own members when they step out of line,” Moffett said.
Hoover’s proposed rule ended up being ruled out of order after House Speaker Pro Tem ruled that Hoover hadn’t drafted it properly.
