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Ohio State Senate

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Ohio State Senate


General Information
Type:   Upper house
Term limits:   2 terms (8 years)
2012 session start:   January 3, 2012
Website:   Official Senate Page
Leadership
Senate President:   Tom Niehaus, (R)
Majority Leader:   Tom Patton, (R)
Minority leader:   Eric Kearney, (D)
Structure
Members:  33
   Democratic Party (10)
Republican Party (23)
Length of term:   4 years
Authority:   Art II, Sec. 1, Ohio Constitution
Salary:   $60,584/year
Elections
Last Election:  November 2, 2010 (17 seats)
Next election:  November 6, 2012 (16 seats)
Redistricting:  Ohio Redistricting Commission
Meeting place:

Contents

The Ohio Senate is the upper house in the Ohio Legislature, the state legislature of Ohio. There are 33 state senators.

Each member represents an average of 349,591 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 344,035 residents.[2] The senators serve four-year terms with term limits.[3]

Half of the senate is up for re-election every two years.

Sessions

Article II of the Ohio Constitution establishes when the Ohio General Assembly, of which the Senate 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 Senate 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.[4]

2011

See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions

In 2011, the Senate will be in session from January 3 through a date to be determined by the Ohio Legislature. [5]

2010

See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions

In 2010, the Senate convened its legislative session on January 4th, and it remains in session throughout the year.[6]

Elections

2012

See also: Ohio State Senate elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Ohio State Senate will be held in Ohio on November 6, 2012. A total of 16 seats will be up for election.

The signature filing deadline is December 7, 2011.

Ohio state senators are subject to term limits and may not serve more than two four-year terms. In 2012, 2 state senators will be termed-out: Timothy Grendell and Tom Niehaus.

2010

See also: Ohio State Senate elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Ohio's State Senate 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 senate raised a total of $10,478,510 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [7]

Donor Amount
Republican Senate Campaign Cmte of Ohio $2,463,124
Ohio Republican Party $1,246,811
Ohio Republican State Senate Campaign Cmte $482,625
Republican Senate Campaign Cmte $325,958
Ohio Democratic Party $213,780
Schneider, Michelle G $151,000
Wholesale Beer & Wine Association of Ohio $146,030
Ohio Senate Democrats $145,500
SEIU Health Care District 1199 $125,451
Ohio Dental Association $122,600

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

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures
How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures
NevadaMassachusettsColoradoNew MexicoWyomingArizonaMontanaCaliforniaOregonWashingtonIdahoTexasOklahomaKansasNebraskaSouth DakotaNorth DakotaMinnesotaIowaMissouriArkansasLouisianaMississippiAlabamaGeorgiaFloridaSouth CarolinaIllinoisWisconsinTennesseeNorth CarolinaIndianaOhioKentuckyPennsylvaniaNew JerseyNew YorkVermontVermontNew HampshireMaineWest VirginiaVirginiaMarylandMarylandConnecticutConnecticutDelawareDelawareRhode IslandRhode IslandMassachusettsNew HampshireMichiganMichiganAlaska

Whenever there is a vacancy in the Senate, the members of the Senate must vote on a replacement. Only members of the party that last held the seat can vote on a replacement. A simple majority vote is needed to approve a replacement[8].

Term limits

See also: State legislatures with term limits

The Ohio legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Ohio Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Ohio senators are subject to term limits of no more than two four-year terms, or a total of eight years.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.[9]

Senators

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

As of 2010, members of the Ohio Senate are paid $60,584/year during legislative sessions. Legislators receive no per diem.[10]

The $60,584/year that Ohio senators 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.[11]

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Ohio legislators assume office January 1st.

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Party As of May 2012
     Democratic Party 10
     Republican Party 23
Total 33

Leadership

Each legislative session, the President of the Senate, a member of the majority caucus, is chosen by all members of the Senate. The majority and minority caucuses select their respective leaders.[12]

Current leadership

Position Representative Party
President of the Senate Tom Niehaus Republican
State Senate President Pro Tempore Keith Faber Republican
State Senate Majority Floor Leader Thomas Patton Republican
State Senate Majority Whip Shannon Jones Republican
State Senate Minority Leader Eric Kearney Democratic
State Senate Assistant Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni Democratic
State Senate Minority Whip Nina Turner Democratic
State Senate Assistant Minority Whip Edna Brown Democratic

List of current members

District Representative Party Residence First elected
1 Cliff Hite Republican Delta, Fulton Appt. 2011
2 Mark Wagoner Republican Ottawa Hills, Lucas Appt. Jan 2008
3 Kevin Bacon Republican Bexley, Franklin 2010
4 Bill Coley Republican Butler Appt. May 2011
5 Bill Beagle Republican Dayton/Trotwood, Montgomery 2010
6 Peggy Lehner Republican Kettering Appt. 2011
7 Shannon Jones Republican Springboro 2009
8 Bill Seitz Republican Cincinnati, Hamilton Oct 2007
9 Eric Kearney Democratic Cincinnati, Hamilton Dec 2005
10 Chris Widener Republican Springfield 2009
11 Edna Brown Democratic Toledo, Lucas 2002
12 Keith Faber Republican Celina, Mercer 2006
13 Gayle L. Manning Republican Lorain, Lorain County 2010
14 Tom Niehaus Republican New Richmond, Clermont 2004
15 Charleta B. Tavares Democratic Columbus, Franklin 2010
16 Jim Hughes Republican Columbus, Franklin Jan 2009
17 Bob Peterson Republican Washington Court House Appt. March 2012
18 John Eklund Republican Munson Township Nov 2011
19 Kris Jordan Republican Ashland, Ashland 2010
20 Troy Balderson Republican Albany Jan 2009
21 Shirley Smith Democratic Cleveland, Cuyahoga 2006
22 Larry Obhof Jr. Republican Lakeville 2011
23 Michael Skindell Democratic Cleveland, Cuyahoga 2010
24 Thomas Patton Republican Strongsville 2008
25 Nina Turner Democratic Cleveland, Cuyahoga 2008
26 Dave Burke Republican Tiffon Jan 2009
27 Frank LaRose Republican Cuyahoga Falls, Summit 2010
28 Thomas Sawyer Democratic Green, Summit Feb 2007
29 Scott Oelslager Republican Canton, Stark 2010
30 Lou Gentile Democratic Steubenville Dec 2011
31 Tim Schaffer Republican Lancaster, Fairfield 2006
32 Capri Cafaro Democratic Hubbard, Trumbull Jan 2007
33 Joseph Schiavoni Democratic Canfield 2009

Standing Senate Committees

Ohio Senate has 14 standing committees:

External links

References

  1. ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
  2. ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
  3. ↑ List of state legislative term limits
  4. ↑ Zanesville Times Recorder, "12 key issues for Ohio in 2012," Jenner first 2012
  5. ↑ 2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar, NCSL
  6. ↑ 2010 session dates for Ohio legislature
  7. ↑ Follow the Money: "Ohio Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions"
  8. ↑ Ohio Legislature "Ohio Constitution"(Referenced Section, Article II, Section 11)
  9. ↑ State legislative term limits
  10. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislator Compensation Data"
  11. ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
  12. ↑ Ohio Senate Leadership
v • d • e
Republican majority Current members of the Ohio State Senate
Senate President: Tom Niehaus (R) • Senate Majority Leader: Thomas Patton (R) • Senate Minority Leader: Eric Kearney (D)
Democratic (10) • Republican (23) • Ohio State Senate • Ohio House of Representatives
v • d • e
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