With vacations scheduled and the state operating budget signed, the warm months of summer have offered me a chance to look back and reflect upon all that the Ohio House of Representatives has accomplished in our first six months, especially with respect to economic development and job creation. I think that, considering all that we have accomplished so far during this General Assembly, those of you who I represent throughout Ashtabula County and the northern portion of Trumbull County will be very proud.

Too often, we hear about a government body that is not working hard enough for its people, but that is not the case in Ohio. During this General Assembly, the House has held twice as many session days as the previous legislature held at this point in time two years ago. With such a busy schedule, we’ve been able to pass 81 bills from the House—much more than the 23 bills passed by the 128th General Assembly. I’m also pleased to report that we’ve also made sure that the voices of our Democrat colleagues were heard, with 14 of the bills we passed having Democratic co-sponsors. When the House Republicans were in the minority during the previous two years, the House had not passed a single Republican bill during the first six months.

Additionally, the committee work that I have been doing during my time serving at the House has been a very rewarding experience. I’ve been fortunate to serve on the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, as well as the Education Committee. With the background and experiences I’ve had in these areas up until this point, I’ve been able to play an important role in crafting legislation that will benefit the 99th House District and the state of Ohio at-large.

The Ag and Natural Resources Committee during this General Assembly is actually doing the work that three separate committees had dealt with during the previous GA, which has saved Ohioans the costs of having three separate committees. Under the current House leadership, we have been able to meet more than all three of those committees combined, holding 17 hearings and passing 14 pieces of legislation—10 of which of passed out of the full House.

Similarly, the House Education committee has held more than twice as many hearings as it had during the previous General Assembly. That means in the first six months of this year, we were able to listen to 156 witnesses in more than 42 hours of testimony. Seven bills were passed by this committee, including the school calamity days bill that I had sponsored in order for our school districts to be allowed five calamity days, rather than three.

Both of the committees I serve on have passed legislation with co-sponsors from the minority party. I’m proud that I have been given the opportunity to serve in a House where the members know how important it is to sit down with those from the other side of the aisle and come to a conclusion that will benefit Ohioans. Certainly, we have accomplished a lot, but I will continue to work hard on your behalf so that the 99th House District can play an important role in crafting our state’s laws.