Ohio Chamber Legislative Update - New 131 Ohio General Assembly

January 12, 2015
Working with New General Assembly to Strengthen Ohio’s Economy
The first full week of 2015 ushered in the start of the 131st Ohio General Assembly. The 99 newly
elected members of the Ohio House of Representatives and 17 state senators took their official oaths
of office on Monday. Also, both chambers voted to install new leadership teams. Later today, Gov.
John Kasich will be inaugurated and his second term will officially commence.
While these events are largely ceremonial, it won’t be long before lawmakers are back to work
crafting policy to build upon Ohio’s economic recovery. In his opening remarks after being
unanimously chosen the new Speaker of the House, Rep. Cliff Rosenberger underscored this priority,
declaring, “our mission to strengthen our economy even further will not waver.”
Speaker Rosenberger also announced that he is crafting an “Ohio 20/20” plan that will lay out a
strategic, long-term vision for Ohio on a variety of issues. Specifically, he talked about the need to
reform Ohio’s workforce development system and build and maintain a thorough and efficient
education system.
Senate Pres. Keith Faber, in his initial address, identified as a key area of focus the need to make
certain all Ohioans have the opportunity to achieve all that they can. From a policy standpoint, he
said the Senate under his leadership would focus on the cost of educational opportunities.
Helping to advance these legislative priorities will be 30 new representatives and four new senators.
In total, the House will have 65 Republicans – the largest majority either party has enjoyed at any
point since Ohio went to single-member districts in 1966 – and 34 Democrats. This represents a net
change of five more Republicans compared to the previous General Assembly. The partisan makeup
of the Senate is unchanged, with Republicans enjoying a 23-to-10 majority.
Though both the Senate and House have sessions scheduled for Wednesday, legislative action won’t
begin in earnest until later this month. Committee assignments, including committee chairs, are
expected to be announced this week.
Ohio Chamber Staff Contact: Keith Lake, klake@ohiochamber.com
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