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Ohio House of Representatives
| Ohio House of Representatives | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Lower house |
| Term limits: | 4 terms (8 years) |
| 2013 session start: | January 7, 2013 |
| Website: | Official House Page |
| Leadership | |
| House Speaker: | William Batchelder, (R) |
| Majority Leader: | Barbara Sears, (R) |
| Minority leader: | Armond Budish, (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 99 |
| Democratic Party (38) Republican Party (61) | |
| Length of term: | 2 years |
| Authority: | Art II, Ohio Constitution |
| Salary: | $60,584/year |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 6, 2012 (99 seats) |
| Next election: | November 4, 2014 (99 seats) |
| Redistricting: | Ohio Redistricting Commission |
Contents |
As of May 2013, Ohio is one of 24 Republican state government trifectas.
Sessions
Article II of the Ohio Constitution establishes when the Ohio General Assembly, of which the House of Representatives is a part, is to meet. Section 8 of Article II states that the regular session is to convene on the first Monday in January of each year, or the following day if that Monday is a legal holiday.
Section 8 also contains rules for convening special sessions of the General Assembly. It empowers the Governor of Ohio or the presiding officers of the General Assembly to convene a special session. For the presiding officers to convene the session, they must act jointly.
2013
- See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions
In 2013, the General Assembly will be in session from January 7 to a date to be determined.
Major issues
As Keith Faber (R) takes over as President of the Senate, the main focus of the legislature will be adopting a new biennial state budget. Additionally, lawmakers will address casino regulation, state collective-bargaining laws, Medicare expansion, and prison overcrowding.[3]
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the House began its legislative session on January 3.
2011
- See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions
In 2011, the House will be in session from January 3 through a date to be determined by the Ohio Legislature. [4]
2010
- See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions
In 2010, the House convened its legislative session on January 4th, and it remains in session throughout the year.[5]
Elections
2012
Elections for the office of Ohio House of Representatives will be held in Ohio on November 6, 2012. All 99 seats were up for election.
The signature filing deadline for the candidates in these elections is December 7, 2011.
Ohio state representatives are subject to term limits, and may not serve more than four two-year terms. In 2012, 7 state representatives will be termed-out of office.
The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, Ohio House of Representatives | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 98 |  Al Landis |
0% | 46,770 | Joshua O'Farrell |
| District 7 | Mike Dovilla |
0.2% | 55,344 | Matt Patten |
| District 5 |  Nick Barborak |
1.1% | 44,665 | Craig Newbold |
| District 24 | Stephanie Kunze |
3.9% | 62,916 | Maureen Reedy |
| District 21 | Mike Duffey |
4% | 62,332 | Donna O'Connor |
| District 36 | Anthony DeVitis |
5% | 54,650 | Paul Colavecchio |
| District 92 | Gary Scherer |
5.1% | 43,780 | Robert P. Armstrong |
| District 95 | Andrew Thompson |
5.7% | 53,571 | Charles J. Daniels |
| District 99 | John Patterson |
6% | 47,625 | Casey Kozlowski |
| District 3 | Tim W. Brown |
7.4% | 59,999 | Kelly Wicks |
2010
Elections for the Ohio House of Representatives were held in Ohio on November 2, 2010.
The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was February 18, 2010 (May 3 for independents). The primary election day was May 4, 2010.
In 2010, the candidates for state house raised a total of $35,860,365 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [6]
| 2010 Donors, Ohio House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Donor | Amount |
| Ohio House Republican Organizational Cmte | $3,806,118 |
| House Democratic Caucus Fund of Ohio | $3,620,544 |
| Ohio Democratic Party | $3,100,762 |
| Ohio Republican Party | $1,352,685 |
| Ohio Democratic Caucus | $934,572 |
| Ohio Association of Public School Employees | $726,311 |
| SEIU Health Care District 1199 | $626,725 |
| Ohio Education Association | $548,050 |
| Ohio State Association of Plumbers & Pipefitters | $529,085 |
| Electrical Workers | $377,996 |
Qualifications
Article 2, Section 3 of the Ohio Constitution states: Senators and representatives shall have resided in their respective districts one year next preceding their election, unless they shall have been absent on the public business of the United States, or of this state.
Article 2, Section 5 of the Ohio Constitution states: No person hereafter convicted of an embezzlement of the public funds, shall hold any office in this state; nor shall any person, holding public money for disbursement, or otherwise, have a seat in the General Assembly, until he shall have accounted for, and paid such money into the treasury.
Vacancies
| How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures |
 |
If there is a vacancy in the House, the seat must be filled by an election conducted by House members. Also, the election can only be conducted by the same members of the political party that hold the seat. A simple majority vote is needed in order to approve a replacement[7].
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Ohio
The Ohio Apportionment Board is responsible for legislative redistricting. It is comprised of 5 members: the Governor, State Auditor, Secretary of State, and two members selected by the legislative leaders of the two major parties.
2010 census
Ohio received its 2010 local census data in early March 2011. Although the state population showed net growth, Ohio's large cities recorded significant population loss. Of the state's five largest cities only Columbus showed population growth. Cleveland suffered the sharpest decline, losing 17.1% of its population.[8]
The Ohio Legislative Task Force on Redistricting, Reapportionment, and Demographic Research assisted the General Assembly and Ohio Apportionment Board in drafting new maps. Four of the five members of the Board were Republicans. By a vote of 4-1 they gave final approval to a new map on September 28, 2011 - two days after posting them online. The lone Democrat on the Board, Rep. Armond Budish, opposed the map, saying it "quarantines" Democrats in 1/3 of the legislative districts.[9]
On January 4, 2012, Democrats filed suit against the legislative maps, saying they violated constitutional requirements for compactness and preservation of county and municipal boundaries. The Ohio Supreme Court took the case but, due to the time factor, ruled the new maps would stand for the 2012 elections, with possible revisions to apply starting in 2014.[10]
Representatives
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 38 | |
| Republican Party | 61 | |
| Total | 99 | |
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Ohio State House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
Map of Districts
The Ohio Secretary of State's Office provides a link to a map of all 99 Ohio House Districts.
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2013, members of the Ohio Legislature are paid $60,584/year during legislative sessions. Legislators receive no per diem.[11]
When sworn in
Ohio legislators assume office January 1st.
Leadership
The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body and is elected by all members. Duties of the Speaker include appointing the members and chairpersons of all committees, directing the legislative procedures, and presiding over daily House sessions. In the absence of the Speaker, the Speaker Pro Tempore assumes the duties of the office.[12]
Current leadership
Current members
Standing committees
2013-2014
- Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Commerce, Labor, and Technology Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Economic Development and Regulatory Reform Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Education Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Finance and Appropriations Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Financial Institutions, Housing and Urban Development Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Health and Aging Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Insurance Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Judiciary Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Manufacturing and Workforce Development Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Policy and Legislative Oversight Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Public Utilities Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Rules and Reference Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- State and Local Government Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Transportation, Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Ways and Means Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
- See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Ohio’’
From 1992-2013, the Republican Party was the majority in the Ohio State House of Representatives for 17 years while the Democrats were the majority for five years. Ohio was under Republican trifectas for the final three years of the study period.
Across the country, there were 579 Democratic and 482 Republican State Houses of Representatives from 1992-2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Ohio, the Ohio State Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
.PNG)
External links
- Official website of the Ohio State House of Representatives
- Official list of the current members of the Ohio House of Representatives
- Ohio House of Representatives on Wikipedia
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Ohio Senate’s new leader brings aggressive style," January 6, 2013
- ↑ 2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar, NCSL
- ↑ 2010 session dates for Ohio legislature
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Ohio House 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ Ohio Legislature "Ohio Constitution"(Referenced Section, Article II, Section 11)
- ↑ Examiner.com, "4 of 5 big Ohio cities, counties lose people, Whites still dominate, Census says," March 10, 2011
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Reapportionment: Maps tilt Ohio more to GOP," September 24, 2011
- ↑ Daily Jeffersonian, "No Ohio Redistricting Decision Before Election," February 19, 2012
- ↑ NCSL.org, "2012 State Legislator Compensation and Per Diem Table," accessed March 18, 2013
- ↑ Ohio House Leadership
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