Jonathan Dever is an American politician who previously served as a member in the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in Ch ...

Early life and education

Dever was raised in

Montgomery, Ohio Montgomery is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, settled in 1795. The town was a coach stop on the Cincinnati-Zanesville Road, later known as the Montgomery Pike, with an inn, two taverns, a grist mill and a carding mill to proces ...

and went on to graduate with a BA from

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Later, he earned a master's degree in Industrial Labor Relations from

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a public research university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. As of fall 2021, the university enrolled 7,044 undergraduates and 1,865 postgraduates, for a total enrollment of 9,009 students. The univ ...

, and subsequently earned his Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School. [1
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Political career

Ohio House of Representatives

In 2014, Dever ran for the

in the 28th district, which had been represented by Democrat Connie Pillich for the prior six years. In a close primary, Dever prevailed by 66 votes. He would go on to face Democrat Micah Kamrass, in what would be one of the closest watched state House races of the cycle. He served as Chairman of the Ohio House Financial Institutions. He served as Chairman of th
Ohio House Financial Institutions, Housing and Urban Development Committee
as a member of Civil Justice and Public Utilities Committees, the Ohio ABLE Program Advisory Board, Ohio Commission on African American Males, Council of State Governments – BILLD Steering Committee, Hamilton County Transportation Improvement District, Ohio Minority Development Financing Advisory Board, and the Ohio Rail Development Commission.

The Ohio ABLE ACT and Disability Policy

The Ohio ABLE Act, creating

ABLE account An ABLE account, also known as a 529 ABLE or 529A account, is a state-run savings program for eligible people with disabilities in the United States. Rules governing ABLE accounts are codified in Internal Revenue Code section 529A, which was enacted ...

s, was the first of its kind state program which allows those with a qualifying disability to save for their disability expenses into a 529(a) savings account. Dever introduced legislation making Ohio the first state in the nation to pass this legislation. Dever worked to remove the term "mentally retarded" from the Ohio Revised Code and its State documents.

Drug policy

Dever advocated for funding to double the treatment options in Hamilton County. He sponsored legislation to treat heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine the same when it comes to punishing drug traffickers. Prior to this change in law, heroin was treated similar to marijuana trafficking.

Banking, housing, and consumer protection

Dever introduced legislation creating the DOLLAR Deed in Ohio. This allows a homeowner to stay in their home as a tenant when facing foreclosure rather than being put out on the street. DOLLAR stands for Deed Over your property in exchange for a Lender Lease and an Agreed Repurchase. He also introduced HB 463 which revised Ohio's foreclosure processes, addressing blight, vacancy, and abandonment.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

In January 2018, Dever was rumored to be on the short list to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the leading federal consumer watchdog agency. The post was vacated by

Richard Cordray Richard Adams Cordray (born May 3, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the COO of Federal Student Aid in the United States Department of Education. He served as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFP ...

, who left the post to pursue the Democratic nomination for Governor of Ohio.

Political campaigns

2018 Campaign

In his campaign for a third term, Dever again faced Democrat

Jessica Miranda Jessica E. Miranda is an American politician and businesswoman who is the member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 28th district in Hamilton County, Ohio, Hamilton County. The district consists of Madeira, Ohio, Madeira, Forest Park, O ...

. On election night, Dever lead by 303 votes. After provisional ballots counted as part of a closely watched recount, Miranda was declared the victor by a 56-vote margin.

References

External links

Campaign Website

Ohio House Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dever, Jonathan 21st-century American politicians Capital University Law School alumni Indiana University of Pennsylvania alumni Living people Members of the Ohio House of Representatives University of Cincinnati alumni Year of birth missing (living people)