COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was officially expelled from the Ohio House of Representatives, becoming the first member to be expelled from the House in 164 years.

Householder's time at the Statehouse ended as he still faces federal charges tied to what prosecutors said is the largest bribery scheme in state history. He was kicked out nearly a year after he and four others were arrested on federal racketeering charges related to House Bill 6.

Householder said what happened Wednesday should not have happened because he did not commit disorderly conduct despite a group of 75 bipartisan lawmakers saying he did.

"We basically stood out there and they've taken away the vote of the 72nd House District and disenfranchised voters, who even knowing the situation at hand, made a decision to elect me last November," said Householder. 

Republican Brian Stewart, who cosponsored the resolution brought to the floor Wednesday, said it was pretty easy for Householder to win a one-horse race when his name was the only one on the ballot. Also, Stewart said if bribery, racketeering and money laundering were not disorderly conduct, than nothing is.

"If a bank teller gets caught stealing, they don't get to stay in their job with their hand in the cash drawer waiting for their case to work its way through the courts,” said Stewart, R-Ashville. “If a teacher is caught having an inappropriate relationship with a student they don't get to stay in the classroom for a year while their case works its way through the courts.”

​House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, who negotiated on behalf of Democrats with Householder to become Speaker, was one of many calling Wednesday a sad day.

She said she wishes House Speaker Robert Cupp, R-Lima, would have taken care of the issue a long time ago but ultimately the House did what it had to do.

"Obviously, Speaker Householder, who was the speaker, campaigned on bringing integrity and cooperation and transparency to the Ohio House, something that had been lacking, something that so many members had been desperately looking for, and he failed and he did not deliver on that promise," said Sykes.

Cupp said he wants to assure Ohioans what happened with Householder will never happen again on his watch. 

"We have very good members, ethical members in the General Assembly. This is an aberration and it has reflected badly on all of us. And I think members, realizing the gravity of the conduct, wanted to put that behind us," said Cupp.

Now the Ohio House moves forward without Householder, who said his political career is not over in his mind, which remains to be seen with the federal charges he still faces.

To be clear, Householder is only expelled from the House for the next year-and-a-half and may run again if he is cleared of the charges.