A Second State Lawmaker Resigning Before End Of Session

A state senator from Cleveland has resigned her seat a month before the end of the legislative session. Senator Shirley Smith has tendered her resignation effective November 30th. She is term limited and would be leaving the legislature at the end of December anyway but she if did not resign by the end of November, she would not be eligible for health insurance through her state pension plan. Her early departure means she will miss several key votes in the remaining weeks of the lame duck legislature. Smith is the second lawmaker to resign within the past week. Former State Representative Peter Beck of Cincinnati, who was also at the end of his term, resigned a couple of days ago with the same effective date. But health insurance was not cited as the reason for his resignation. Beck has been indicted on 69 counts of fraud and theft. He faces trial later this month.