The Ohio House of Representatives is the
lower house
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
of the
Ohio General Assembly, the
state legislature of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
; the other
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
of the
bicameral
Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single grou ...
legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
being the
Ohio Senate.
The House of Representatives first met in
Chillicothe on March 3, 1803, under the later superseded
state constitution of that year. In 1816, the capital was moved to
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
, where it is located today.
Members are
limited to four successive two-year elected terms (terms are considered successive if they are separated by less than four years).
Time served by appointment to fill out another representative's uncompleted term does not count against the term limit. There are 99 members in the house, elected from single-member districts. Every even-numbered year, all the seats are up for re-election.
Composition
Leadership
Members of the 134th House of Representatives
![134OHHouse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/134OHHouse.svg)
↑: Member was originally appointed to the seat.
Officials
Speaker of the House
The
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the House. The duties of the Speaker include preserving order and decorum at all times, recognizing visitors in the galleries, controlling and providing security for the Hall, appointing members to perform the duties of the Speaker for a temporary period of time, naming committees and subcommittees and appointing their chairs and members, overseeing the performance of House employees, and signing bills, acts, resolutions, and more.
Clerk of the House
The Clerk of the House of Representatives is in charge of and regulates the distribution of records of the House. The Clerk is the custodian of legislative documents within the House. The duties of the Clerk include examining bills or resolutions before introduction, numbering bills and resolutions for filing, providing bills and documents pertaining to the bill to the chair of the corresponding committee, publishing calendars to notify the public about bills and resolutions, keeping a journal of House proceedings, superintending the presentation of bills and resolutions, and attesting writs and subpoenas issued by the House of Representatives.
Sergeant-at-Arms
The Sergeant-at-arms of the House of Representatives is tasked with maintaining security and order in the House. The Sergeant-at-arms may be ordered by the Speaker to clear the aisles if this is deemed necessary by the Speaker. Other duties of the Sergeant-at-arms include controlling admission to the building, serving subpoenas and warrants issued by the House, and bringing any members found to be absent without leave to the House.
Standing Committees
The Speaker of the House is in charge of naming all committees and subcommittees.
The current standing committees, chairs, vice chairs, and ranking members are:
Past composition of the House of Representatives
References
External links
*
Project Vote Smart – State House of OhioMap of Ohio House Districts*
Ohio District Maps 2002–2012Election results from Ohio Secretary of State
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohio House Of Representatives
House Of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
State lower houses in the United States