Ryan P. Aument (born December 16, 1976) is an American politician and Republican member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealt ...

for the 36th district. Prior to his election to the State Senate in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

, he served as a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

, for the 41st District, which includes portions of Lancaster County.

Political career

Ryan entered public service as the Lancaster County Clerk of Courts, the 56th individual to hold this position. In November 2010, Aument defeated Gerald E. Policoff in the general election to succeed Katie True. Aument sponsored teacher evaluation legislation in his first term. The bill was ultimately signed into law as Act No. 82 in the 2011–2012 legislative session. In November 2012, Aument defeated Marcy Dubroff and retained his house seat. In the 2014 election, Aument ran for retiring Mike Brubaker's seat in the State Senate. He defeated

Gordon Denlinger Gordon R. Denlinger is a former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (2003–2015). In December 2017, he entered the 2018 race for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, dropping out in February 2018. Early life and ed ...

in the Republican primary, then defeated Democrat Gary J. Schrekengost in the general election. On Feb 9th 2021, Aument was chosen by Governor

Tom Wolf Thomas Westerman Wolf (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in the 2014 gu ...

to be a part of the bipartisan

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

taskforce. As a part of this task force, Aument oversaw the establishment of a mass-vaccination clinic in his home county of Lancaster at the Park City Center in conjunction with local hospitals and Lancaster county commissioner Joshua Parsons. Aument is an opponent of

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...

. He has voted for numerous restrictions on abortion services since the beginning of his time in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2011 to his present position in the Pennsylvania Senate. Aument is an opponent of

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, ...

. In 2022, he co-sponsored and voted twice in favor of a bill banning transgender girls from participating on female sports teams. Also in 2022, he was the sponsor of the variant of a " Don't Say Gay" bill in the Pennsylvania Senate, which would forbid any discussion of sexual/

romantic orientation A person's romantic orientation, also called affectional orientation, is the classification of the sex or gender with which a person experiences romantic attraction towards or is likely to have a romantic relationship with. The term is used a ...

or of

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the ...

in Pennsylvania elementary schools. Aument opposes the use of ballot drop boxes in elections, saying in 2022, "it has become abundantly clear that drop boxes are the least secure way to vote in Pennsylvania."

Committee assignments

* Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure, Vice Chair * Appropriations * Communications & Technology * Education * Environmental Resources & Energy * Judiciary * Local Government * Rules & Executive Nominations

Military career

Ryan served as a captain in the United States Army during

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

, briefly commanding an infantry company of 150 soldiers after his company commander was wounded in action. He also served on battalion staff as a Civil Affairs officer. During his military career, Ryan earned several awards, including the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. W ...

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

Army Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to recei ...

and Army Parachutist Badge. He graduated from

The Citadel The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. ...

, the Military College of South Carolina, in 1999.

References

External links

State Sen. Ryan Aument
official caucus website
Elect Aument
campaign website
Profile
on the

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Aument, Ryan 1976 births Living people United States Army personnel of the Iraq War The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina alumni Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania United States Army officers 21st-century American politicians