Growing up as an adopted child, I always knew I was one of the lucky ones. I was adopted into a loving family while still an infant and my parents willingly shared details of the day I came into their lives and how happy it made them. As an adult, I realize what a difficult and selfless decision my biological mother made to place me up for adoption. This is why I have always been interested in making the adoption process better for all involved. When the Probate Judges Association shared with me, they were working on updating the adoption statutes for the State of Ohio, I eagerly agreed to help. Ohio’s adoption laws have not been updated since 1998 and were long overdue for some changes. After creating a Task Force from Probate Judges around the state, and many months of work, the Probate Judges developed their recommendations. Their goals are to update the current law to align the adoption process with Supreme Court precedent, increase consistency from county to county and address the unnecessary length and cost of finalizing certain adoptions. Medina County Probate Court Judge Kevin Dunn was a driving force behind this effort and has been an invaluable resource during this process. Some of the highlights of the bill include  Increasing financial support for expectant mothers placing their child up for adoption from $ 3,000 to $ 6,000.00 for living expenses – supporting the health and well-being of the mother and child. For foster-to-adopt scenarios, current Ohio law requires a six-month waiting period before an adoption can occur. Current law allows for time spent in a foster home to be counted towards the six-month waiting period. The Adoption Modernization Act extends this practice to kinship caregivers, expediting the adoption process for family members of the child. This bill clarifies the Ohio Revised Code by eliminating needless delays and unnecessary duplicate actions to help streamline the process. In addition to the Adoption Modernization Act, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Executive Order 2023-09D to launch the Ohio Adoption Grant Program – which provides up to $ 20,000.00 to parents adopting a child. Parents who have finalized an adoption since January 1, 2023, can begin applying for the grant today at: AdoptionGrant.Ohio.gov. The Ohio Adoption grant program applies to parents that adopt children under the age of 18 and includes privately arranged adoptions, as well as adoptions made through a public children services agency, including foster and kinship caregivers. Grant amounts vary from $ 10,000 to $ 20,000, depending on various circumstances. In the words of Ohio Icon and Adoption advocate Dave Thomas, “Every child deserves a home and love.” I agree.

While it is always great to have visitors from the District, I was especially blessed recently to have some of my favorite groups come to Columbus and visit the Statehouse. The Fourth-grade classes from Valley View Elementary School in Wadsworth made their annual visit to Columbus at the end of March and luckily, I was able to greet them as they began their tour of the Statehouse. These young ladies and gentlemen were well-behaved and curious about the building and what the general assembly was currently working on. As an alum of Valley View Elementary, it was exciting to see students from my childhood school enjoy the People’s House. A few weeks later, the Leadership Medina County class came down for a tour of both the Statehouse and the Supreme Court. Leadership Medina County is a nonprofit, educational, and leadership development organization that exists to build and maintain a county-wide network of talented responsible, and dynamic leaders, who learn first-hand about issues facing Medina County and who serve by assisting in addressing those issues. Many of our Counties’ elected officials, School and Government employees, and interested parties from a wide variety of professions and occupations are graduates of Leadership Medina County’s innovative learning experience. During their lunch break, Rep. Melanie Miller, Sen. Mark Romanchuk, and I were able to talk about how (and why) we got into public service. We also had time to share issues we are working on and what the general assembly has accomplished this year. If you have a desire to learn more about Medina County and the many opportunities to make a difference, please visit their website at Leadershipmedinacounty.org.

On January 3, 2023, a brand new class of the Ohio House of Representatives– the 135th general assembly was sworn in at the State House. 99 members – some new, some returning, each representing approximately 115,000 citizens spread across the great state of Ohio. As we took our Oath of Office, a sense of excitement filled the air; not only for the new members, but the returning members too.  The wide range of ages – professions, and backgrounds, make this an interesting group, and I am anxious to get acquainted with my co-workers. The hustle and bustle of opening day has the feel of a new school year, with friends and family attending the “swearing-in” and wishing you well on your new adventure. Finding your seat (at least for the next two years) in the Chambers on the House floor. Trying to navigate the Statehouse without getting lost – is not as easy as it looks! It became apparent on opening day that this session would be different; we elected a new speaker, one with bipartisan support. While this pleased some, it disturbed others…welcome to politics, where you rarely make everyone happy. Having worked with both gentlemen, I liked them both, each brought their unique strengths. In the end, I believe the new Speaker, Rep. Jason Stephens, brought more experience and maturity, characteristics that will serve him well in his new position. He brought with him a slate that brings decades of experience in government, along with the wisdom and consideration that being a “more seasoned” member instills.

In a totally unexpected and humbling moment, they asked me to be a member of the Leadership team. Quite frankly, I was shocked. Anyone who knows me understands that I can be a bit suspect when good things fall in my lap. I mean, I have the age (and the gray hairs to prove it) and many years of experience in the administrative, legislative, and judicial arena, but this will be a challenge.

I took a couple of days to catch my breath and think about it, one thing maturity teaches you, if someone else is more qualified, I want that person to have the job. At my age, I am not looking at this position as a “stepping stone.”

I have no loftier political aspirations; perhaps that is what made me a good fit. I said yes, and on January 24th, I was elected by a combination of Republicans & Democrats to the position of Assistant Majority Whip. It was an honor to stand before the Ohio House of Representatives and be sworn into my new position.

Medina County has been well represented in leadership positions in Columbus; Speaker William Batchelder, a Medina County legend (and my mentor), served as Speaker of the House from 2011–2014. Senate President Larry Obhof, a proud resident of Montville Township, served as Senate President from 2017–2020. Both gentlemen served Medina County and the State of Ohio with competence, dignity, and honor – and both are remembered by their peers fondly. It is my goal to continue the examples they have set.

One of my favorite things to do as your State Representative is to help arrange tours of the Ohio Statehouse. The beauty of the building and grounds is something everyone should experience at least once. The Statehouse’s prominent architecture has made it a National Historic Landmark visited by over 500,000 visitors a year.

The Ohio Statehouse is a Greek revival building located on Capitol Square in downtown Columbus. The Capitol houses the Ohio General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. It also houses the ceremonial offices of the governor, Lieutenant governor, state treasurer, and state auditor. It is one of the oldest working Statehouses in the United States.

Built over a 22-year period between 1839 and 1861 at a cost of $ 1.3 million dollars. The construction took many twists and turns and suffered many setbacks. Columbus was not even the original State Capital – Chillicothe was. Legislation enacted in 1810 deemed the State Capital to be “not more than 40 miles from what may be deemed the common center of the state.” On February 14, 1812, the General Assembly, after intense debate selected the current location and decided to name the new town Columbus. The design of the new Statehouse was selected via a competition – a common practice at the time. When the cornerstone was laid on July 4th, 1839. The building was still without a final design. While General Assembly’s legislation selecting Columbus was set to expire

• renewed debate about the location stalled construction

• open excavations were re-filled with earth and Capital Square became open pasture for livestock

In 1848 construction resumed only to be interrupted by a cholera epidemic. Construction resumed, and with great fanfare, the new Statehouse opened to the public on January 7th, 1857. Construction of Capitol Square, including its buildings, grounds, and landscaping, was finally completed in 1861.

In 1989, a massive project commenced to restore the building to the splendor the original builders envisioned, as well as, making the Statehouse a useful and functional government building. Original furniture and modern reproductions of long-gone items such as carpets and light fixtures were created. The restoration project also resulted in the addition of a third building to Capitol Square. The Atrium, which connected the Statehouse with the Judiciary Annex was completed in 1993. After the renovation, the Judiciary Annex became the Senate Building.

There are several portraits of governors, lieutenant governors, Speaker of the House, and President of the Senate’s portraits hanging in the Statehouse. Medina County is proud to have portraits of former Speaker of the House Bill Batchelder and former President of the Senate Larry Obhof in residence.

Tours are available every day at no cost. Tours for small groups are conducted on the hour. Large groups can be scheduled by calling my office at 614-466-8140 or emailing me at Rep66@ohiohouse.gov.