2023 Ohio legislative session
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| 2023 Ohio legislative session |
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| General information |
| Session start: January 2, 2023 Session end: December 31, 2023 |
| Leadership |
| Senate President Matt Huffman House Speaker |
| Elections |
| Next Election: November 5, 2024 Last Election: November 8, 2022 |
| Previous legislative sessions |
| 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
| Other 2023 legislative sessions |
In 2023, the Ohio General Assembly was scheduled to convene on January 2, 2023, and adjourn on December 31, 2023.
The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2022 elections. Republicans won a 26-7 majority in the Senate and a 67-32 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta. At the start of the 2023 session, Ohio was one of 18 state legislatures where the Republican Party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2023
Ohio State Senate
- Senate president: Matt Huffman (R)
- Majority leader: Robert McColley (R)
- Minority leader: Nickie Antonio (D)
Ohio House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: Jason Stephens (R)
- Majority leader: Jason Stephens (R)
- Minority leader: Allison Russo (D)
Partisan control in 2023
- See also: State government trifectas
Ohio was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas at the start of 2023 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
Ohio was also one of 18 state legislatures where the Republican Party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Ohio General Assembly in the 2023 legislative session.
Ohio State Senate
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 7 | |
| Republican Party | 26 | |
| Total | 33 | |
Ohio House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 32 | |
| Republican Party | 67 | |
| Total | 99 | |
Regular session
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2023 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2023. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Standing legislative committees
A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.
At the beginning of the 2023 legislative session, there were 46 standing committees in Ohio's state government, including six joint legislative committees, 17 state Senate committees, and 23 state House committees.
Joint legislative committees
- Correctional Institution Inspection Committee
- Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review Committee
- Joint Legislative Ethics Committee
- Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee
- Legislative Service Commission Committee
- State Controlling Board Committee
Senate committees
- Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
- Energy and Public Utilities Committee
- Financial Institutions and Technology
- General Government Budget Committee
- Government Oversight and Reform Committee
- Judiciary Committee
- Local Government and Elections Committee
- Senate Finance Committee
- Senate Health Committee
- Senate Insurance Committee
- Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee
- Senate Rules and Reference Committee
- Senate Ways and Means Committee
- Small Business and Economic Opportunity Committee
- Transportation Committee
- Veterans and Public Safety Committee
- Workforce and Higher Education Committee
House committees
- Agriculture and Conservation Committee
- Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committee
- Behavioral Health and Recovery Supports Committee
- Civil Justice Committee
- Commerce and Labor Committee
- Criminal Justice Committee
- Economic and Workforce Development Committee
- Families, Aging, and Human Services Committee
- Financial Institutions Committee
- Government Oversight Committee
- Higher Education and Career Readiness Committee
- House Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- House Finance Committee
- House Health Committee
- House Insurance Committee
- House Primary and Secondary Education Committee
- House Public Utilities Committee
- House Rules and Reference Committee
- House Ways and Means Committee
- Infrastructure and Rural Development Committee
- State and Local Government Committee
- Technology and Innovation Committee
- Transportation and Public Safety Committee
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the Ohio Constitution can be amended:
The Ohio Constitution provides three mechanisms for amending the state's constitution—a citizen-initiated process, a legislative process, and a state constitutional convention. Ohio requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.
Initiative
- See also: Initiated constitutional amendment
According to Section 1a of Article II, citizens have the power to initiate constitutional amendments in Ohio. An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.
In Ohio, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.
Ohio also requires initiative sponsors to submit 1,000 signatures with the initial petition application. Ohio has a signature distribution requirement, which requires that signatures be gathered from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties. Petitioners must gather signatures equal to a minimum of half the total required percentage of the gubernatorial vote in each of the 44 counties. Petitions are allowed to circulate for an indefinite period of time. Signatures are due 125 days prior to the general election that proponents want the initiative on.
Legislature
According to Article XVI, the state Legislature can refer constitutional amendments to the ballot for voters to decide. A 60% vote is required during one legislative session for the Ohio State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 60 votes in the Ohio House of Representatives and 20 votes in the Ohio State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Convention
According to Section 3 of Article XVI of the Ohio Constitution, a question about whether to hold a state constitutional convention is to automatically appear on the state's ballot every 20 years starting in 1932. Ohio is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question.
The table below shows the last and next automatic constitutional convention question election years:
| State | Interval | Last question on the ballot | Next question on the ballot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 20 years | 2012 | 2032 |
Historical partisan control
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Ohio.
Ohio Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-six years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Historical Senate control
Between 1992 and 2022, grew their majority in the Ohio State Senate. Republicans held a 20-13 majority as a result of the 1992 elections. As a result of the 2022 elections, the Republican majority was 26-7. The table below shows the partisan history of the Ohio State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Ohio State Senate election results: 1992-2022
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Republicans | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
There were few movements in the partisan balance of the state Senate between 1992 and 2022. There was one election, held in 2010, in which Republicans gained two seats. The only gains Democrats made occurred as a result of the 2006 elections, when they gained one seat. All other election cycles saw either Republicans picking up one seat or there being no change in the partisan balance of the chamber.
Historical House control
Between 1992 and 2022, partisan control of the Ohio House of Representatives shifted in favor of the Republican Party. As a result of the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 53-46 majority. After the 2022 elections, Republicans held a 67-32 majority. The table below shows the partisan history of the Ohio House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Ohio House of Representatives election results: 1992-2022
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 53 | 43 | 39 | 40 | 39 | 37 | 40 | 46 | 53 | 40 | 39 | 34 | 33 | 38 | 35 | 32 |
| Republicans | 46 | 56 | 60 | 59 | 60 | 62 | 59 | 53 | 46 | 59 | 60 | 65 | 66 | 61 | 64 | 67 |
Partisan control of the state House changed three times between 1992 and 2022. The first was in 1994, when Republicans picked up 10 seats and gained control of the chamber. Between 2002 and 2008, Democrats went from being a 37-62 minority to holding a 53-46 majority. That Democratic majority ended as a result of the 2010 elections, when Republicans gained 13 seats and retook control of the chamber.
Republicans expanded their majorities between 2010 and 2016. As a result of the 2016 elections, Republicans held a 66-33 majority, up from the 59-40 majority the GOP gained in 2010. Most of the Republicans' gains between 2010 and 2016 occurred as a result of the 2014 elections, when they gained five seats.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
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See also
| Elections | Ohio State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
