Ohio General Assembly

There’s an old saying that legislation either lives or dies in committee. Committees and their chairpersons play a critical role in determining whether an idea makes it through the legislative process and becomes a law. So let’s take a look at the new members and chairs of our agriculture committees, recently appointed for the new two-year session of the 134th Ohio General Assembly.
After announcing a change in the committee’s name from “Agriculture and Rural Development” to “Agriculture and Conservation Committee,” House Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima) finalized his committee appointments. The new committee will include:
- Rep. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield) will return as Committee Chair. Now in his fourth term in the Ohio House, Rep. Koehler has a background as a software engineer and working for his family’s tool company but has raised livestock and refers to himself as a hobby farmer. Rep. Koehler recently received the “Friend of Agriculture” endorsement from Ohio Farm Bureau.
- Rep. Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria) will serve as the new Committee Vice Chair during his first term in the House. Rep. Creech farms in Preble County, owns a lawn care business, and has served as a township trustee and county commissioner.
- Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) will also return to the committee as its Ranking Member. Rep. Brent is in her second term in the House, with a background in non-profit and community engagement work.
- Rep. Brian Baldridge (R-Winchester)
- Rep. Adam C. Bird (R-New Richmond)
- Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur (R-Geneva-on-the-Lake)
- Rep. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo)
- Rep. Don Jones (R-Freeport)
- Rep. Darrell Kick (R-Loudonville)
- Rep. Joseph A. Miller (D-Amherst)
- Rep. Michael J. O’Brien (D-Warren)
- Rep. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum)
- Rep. Michael Sheehy (D-Oregon)
On the Senate side, Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) announced the members of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, which will include:
- Sen. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) as the new Committee Chair. Sen. Shaffer is in his third term in the Senate and was also elected to the Ohio House for four terms. He is also an association executive in the private sector, and has earned the “Friend of Agriculture” award from Ohio Farm Bureau along with over a dozen other awards for his legislative service.
- Sen. Stephen A. Huffman (R-Tipp City) will serve as the Committee Vice Chair. Following two terms in the House, Sen. Huffman is in his first term as a Senator. Sen. Huffman is a practicing physician and will also chair the Senate’s Health Committee.
- Sen. Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) is the committee’s Ranking Minority Member. A two-term Senator also elected to three terms in the House, Sen. Fedor is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Ohio Air National Guard and a retired teacher for Toledo Public Schools.
- Sen. Bob Hackett (R-London)
- Sen. Tina Maharath (D-Columbus)
- Sen. Sandra O’Brien (R-Ashtabula)
- Sen. Bob Peterson (R-Washington Court House)
The House Agriculture and Conservation Committee holds its first meeting next Tuesday, February 16. Follow the committee through its website, which includes meeting agendas and minutes, bills under consideration, and video of committee meetings.
The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee began its work last week with consideration of a bill authorizing the use of owls in the sport of falconry. Meeting agendas and bills under consideration are available on the committee’s website
Stay tuned to the Ohio Ag Law Blog for updateson legislative proposals and what bills live or die in our agriculture committees.
Senate President Larry Obhof and Speaker of the House Cliff Rosenberger have made committee assignments for the new session of Ohio’s 132nd General Assembly. While there are no major changes to committee structure or leadership, the committees contain many new members, including several legislators serving their first terms as legislators.
Sen. Cliff Hite (R-Findlay) will again chair the Senate’s Agriculture Committee, with newly elected Sen. Frank Hoagland (R-Mingo Junction) serving as vice chair and first Senate termer Sen. Sean O’Brien (D-Bazetta) appointed as the ranking minority member. O’Brien previously served three terms in the House of Representatives, which included a term on its Agriculture and Rural Development Committee.
- Returning from last session’s Agriculture Committee are Senators Bill Beagle (R-Tipp City), Bob Peterson (R-Washington Court House) and Michael Skindell (D-Lakewood).
- New to the committee are Senators Bob Hackett (R-London), previous House member Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard), Frank Larose (R-Hudson), Charleta Tavares (D-Columbus) and Joe Uecker (R-Miami Township).
Rep. Brian Hill (R-Zanesville) will again lead the House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee with Rep. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield) serving as vice chair for the first time and Rep. John Patterson (D-Jefferson) returning as the ranking minority member.
- Representatives Jack Cera (D-Bellaire), Christina Hagan (R-Marlboro Township), Michael O’Brien (D-Warren), Bill Patmon (D-Cleveland), Jeff Rezabek (R-Clayton), Michael Sheehy (D-Toledo) and Andy Thompson (R-Marietta) will return to the committee.
- New to both the House of Representatives and the committee are Representatives Rick Carfagna (R-Genoa Township), Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville), Darrell Kick (R-Loudonville), Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) and Dick Stein (R-Norwalk).
- New to the committee are Representatives Candice Keller (R-Middletown), David Leland (R-Columbus) and Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township), along with Former Senate President Keith Faber (R-Celina).
Neither committee has a meeting scheduled at this time. Follow the committees' work in the new legislative session at https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/.
Tags: Ohio legislature, Ohio agriculture committees, Ohio General Assembly
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