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Ohio House of Representatives
| Ohio House of Representatives | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Lower house |
| Term limits: | 4 terms (8 years) |
| 2012 session start: | January 3, 2012 |
| Website: | Official House Page |
| Leadership | |
| House Speaker: | William Batchelder, (R) |
| Majority Leader: | Matt Huffman, (R) |
| Minority leader: | Armond Budish, (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 99 |
| Democratic Party (40) Republican Party (59) | |
| Length of term: | 2 years |
| Authority: | Art II, Ohio Constitution |
| Salary: | $60,584/year |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 2, 2010 (99 seats) |
| Next election: | November 6, 2012 (99 seats) |
| Redistricting: | Ohio Redistricting Commission |
Contents |
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.
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the House will be in session from January 3 through a date to be determined by the General Assembly.
Major issues
Reforms to the state's public pension system will be on top of the agenda. Additionally, the legislature may consider a revamp of the state's school funding formula as well as major reforms to the Bureau of Workers' Compensation and changes in energy policy.[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 will be 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.
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]
| 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].
Representatives
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
| Party | As of May 2012 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 40 | |
| Republican Party | 59 | |
| Total | 99 | |
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 2010, members of the Ohio House of Representatives are paid $60,584/year during legislative sessions. Legislators receive no per diem.[8]
The $60,584/year that Ohio representatives are paid as of 2010 is an increase over the $58,933.56/year they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem is the same.[9]
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.[10]
Current leadership
Current members
Standing committees
2011
For the 2011 session, the number of committees has been reduced to 17:
- Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Commerce and Labor Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Criminal Justice Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Economic and Small Business Development 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
- Judiciary and Ethics Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Local Government Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Public Utilities Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Rules and Reference Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- State Government and Elections Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Transportation, Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Veterans Affairs Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Ways and Means Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
2010
The Ohio House has the following 27 standing committees plus 5 standing subcommittees:
- Aging and Disability Services Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Alternative Energy Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Civil and Commercial Law Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Commerce and Labor Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Consumer Affairs and Economic Protection Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Criminal Justice Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Economic Development Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Education Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Elections and Ethics Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Environment and Brownfield Development Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Faith-based Initiatives Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Finance and Appropriations Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Financial Institutions, Real Estate, and Securities Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Health Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- HealthCare Access and Affordability Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Housing and Urban Revitalization Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Insurance Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Judiciary Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Legislative Ethics Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Legislative Service Commission Committee, Ohio house
- Local Government/Public Administration Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Public Utilities Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Rules and Reference Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- State Government Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Veterans Affairs Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
- Ways and Means Committee, Ohio House of Representatives
External links
- Official website of the Ohio State House of Representatives
- Official list of the current members of the Ohio House of Representatives
- Project Vote Smart on 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
- ↑ Zanesville Times Recorder, "12 key issues for Ohio in 2012," Jenner first 2012
- ↑ 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)
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislator Compensation Data"
- ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
- ↑ Ohio House Leadership
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