This being the day designated by the Constitution of the State of Ohio for the meeting of the General Assembly in regular session, the members-elect of the House of Representatives assembled in the Hall of the Representatives at 2:00 o'clock p.m. and were called to order by the Honorable Jason Stephens, Speaker of the House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirty-Fifth General Assembly.

The One Hundred Thirty-Sixth General Assembly rose for the opening prayer, offered by Representative-elect Johnathan Newman.

The colors were presented by the Allen County Sheriff’s Office, and the National Anthem was led by Representative Melanie Miller, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Pursuant to Section 101.11 of the Ohio Revised Code, the Chair appointed Representative John to serve as clerk pro tempore.

The following named persons presented certificates of election as members of the One Hundred Thirty-Fifth General Assembly of Ohio, and having been administered the oath of office by the Honorable Patrick F. Fischer, Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, or previously having filed a sworn oath of office with the Clerk, entered upon the discharge of their duties:

95 Don Jones R Harrison, Morgan, Noble, Athens (part), Belmont (part), Guernsey (part)

Representative Manning moved that the oaths of office and certificates of election of absent members-elect be accepted and that the oaths of office be spread upon the pages of the journal.

The Chair then called to order the House of Representatives of the One Hundred Thirty-Sixth General Assembly of the State of Ohio.

As the Speaker of the previous General Assembly, it is my duty and honor to preside over the beginning of our proceedings here today in this, the first session of the 136th General Assembly.

The meeting of the General Assembly of this great State of Ohio is a special occasion, and meeting here in this place, the Chamber of the Ohio House of Representatives, is always a time to remember why we are here and whom we serve.

This chamber has become affectionately known as "The People's House," and today I would like to take just a few minutes and talk about the people who make this institution so special.

First, I would like to talk about our representatives. For some of you, this may be the first time that you have ever served as an elected official. For others, this may be the first time you have served at the state level. While others of us may be entering another term, and still some of you once served here and you liked it so much, that you have found your way back to the House to serve in this 136th General Assembly.

Regardless of how long (or how short) any of us has had the privilege to serve as a State Representative here in Ohio, it is truly an honor. I encourage each of us to get to know one another over these next two years. Find what makes other reps tick. What are their concerns? How did they get here? What is their favorite hobby or ball team?

Whatever the common thread may be, I encourage us all to get to know each other. Just like back home in your districts, it will help you here to be able to have honest discussions with people you know (even though you may not agree with them). Some days it is easier than others, but the goal is to get to know your colleagues as people. It will make your job as a Representative much easier.

Second, the people who really make this place run are the House Staff. Whether it is Senior Staff, Policy Staff, the Comms Team, the Clerk’s Office, the Administration, IT, LSC, Legislative Aides, or the pages, each and every staffer who works for the Ohio House of Representatives serves a critical role to make sure this Institution works to serve the people of Ohio.

Again, I encourage us all to treat our staff with professionalism and dignity. They are, in fact, the ones who ultimately make us look good.

In fact, my first Legislative Aide, Rachel Ehresman is here today, and I would like to give her a special shout out. Thank you to all of our staffers who are dedicated to serving the people of Ohio.

Now, of utmost importance to all of us are the people who probably sacrifice the most for us to be here--our families and loved ones. They will be the ones who sacrifice while the Representatives serve. Whether it is a meeting that goes later than expected, travel plans interrupted, or just an untimely phone call, our families sacrifice a lot for us to be able to be here.

I would like to recognize my wife, Juli, who is here today in the gallery. I'm sure you all have family members here today. Let's take time to recognize all of the family members of Representatives who are here today.

It is an honor to serve, and all the people I have mentioned so far play a crucial role in some form or fashion in helping us as Representatives to get our job done.

And what exactly is that job of State Representative? Our job is to serve the PEOPLE-The PEOPLE of our Districts and the PEOPLE of Ohio.

These people who sent us here to this town, whether they all voted for us to be here or not, are counting on all of us to work hard to understand the issues and make tough decisions that will ultimately improve their lives.

People like Herb, who is a retired phone worker. Herb wants to make sure his family and grandkids can live closer to home here in Ohio, and that the local Community Center is able to be a place of pride for people to gather.

People like Eileen, who at one time worked as a manufacturing supervisor, but is now in a nursing home and needs constant care and attention. Her health is not what it was. Her husband is gone, but her dignity certainly is not.

People like Michael and Matt, who lost their father last year and own a family business that employs hundreds of people. They worry about taxes being too high, having enough qualified workers, and regulations being too burdensome, among many other things. They just want to run their business in a safe and profitable manner.

People like Phoebe, who is a retired teacher of over 30 years who is living on her pension and trying to make sure she can pay her property taxes to keep the home she raised her kids in and has lived in all her adult life.

People like Edie, who is a very bright middle school student who is trying to learn enough to pass her standardized tests and deal with all the pressures of social media and being a pre-teen in 2025.

People like Nathan, who is a husband and a father of two rambunctious elementary school-aged boys who works his normal job and serves our country in the National Guard. Not to mention his wife, Amber who tries to wrangle and keep up with those boys when he is away.

I could go on and on, and even though you may not know Herb, or Eileen, Michael or Matt, or Phoebe, Edie, Nathan or Amber, but I guarantee that you certainly know someone like them.

We represent the nearly 12 million People of Ohio. Each one with their own individual story. These are the people we serve in this body.

These individuals are the people of Ohio who are counting on us, as their representatives, to strive to make each and every unique corner of Ohio better off in the future than it is today.

Regardless of where we are from...whether it be the bountiful rural plains of our farmlands, or whether it be the economic hubs of one of our great cities, whether it be the nicest small town or the swankiest suburb, whether it be along the great Lake Erie or the grand Ohio River, or even if it's somewhere in the hills of Appalachia in a place as small as it sounds like Kitts Hill...We Are Ohio!

The PEOPLE of Ohio are counting on us. They are counting on us to work with one another. They are counting on us to work to keep this institution strong.

But most importantly the People of Ohio are counting on us to work to make their lives better. May we all strive to do just that in this 136th General Assembly. Now let's get on with it and get to work.

The House then proceeded to the next order of business, that being the election of officers in compliance with the provisions of Section 101.13 of the Ohio Revised Code.

The election of Speaker being in order, Representative Plummer of the 39th district nominated for the office of Speaker, Matt Huffman of the 78th district.

Representative Ritter of the 47th district seconded the nomination.

Representative Roemer of the 31st district moved that the nominations of Speaker be closed.

The motion was agreed to without objection.

The House then proceeded to the election of Speaker.

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted – yeas 96, nays 0, as follows:

Those who voted in the affirmative were: Representatives
Abdullahi Abrams Baker Barhorst
Bird Brennan Brent Brewer
Brownlee Callender Claggett Click
Cockley Craig Creech Daniels
Dean Deeter Demetriou Dovilla
Ferguson Fischer Fowler Arthur Ghanbari
Glassburn Grim Gross Hall, D.
Hall, T. Hiner Holmes Hoops
Humphrey Isaacsohn Jarrells John
Johnson Jones King Kishman
Klopfenstein Lampton LaRe Lawson-Rowe
Lear Lett Lorenz Manning
Mathews, A. Mathews, T. McClain McNally
Miller, J. Miller, K. Miller, M. Mullins
Newman Odioso Oelslager Peterson
Piccolantonio Pizzulli Plummer Rader
Ray Richardson Ritter Robb Blasdel
Robinson Roemer Rogers Russo
Salvo Santucci Sigrist Sims
Somani Stephens Stewart Swearingen
Sweeney Synenberg Teska Thomas, C.
Thomas, D. Thomas, J. Tims Troy
Upchurch White, A. White, E. Williams
Willis Workman Young Huffman-96

Having received a statutory majority of all votes cast, Matt Huffman was declared the duly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives of the One Hundred Thirty-Sixth General Assembly of the State of Ohio.

Upon being presented, Matt Huffman was administered the oath of office by The Honorable Alice M. Batchelder, Senior U.S. Court of Appeals Judge for the Sixth Circuit, and entered upon the discharge of his duties.

The next order of business being the election of the Speaker Pro Tempore, Representative White of the 30th district nominated for said office Gayle Manning of the 52nd district.

Representative Hoops of the 81st district seconded the nomination.

Representative Roemer of the 31st district moved that the nominations of Speaker Pro Tempore be closed.

The motion was agreed to without objection.

The House then proceeded to the election of Speaker Pro Tempore.

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted – yeas 96, nays 0, as follows:

Having received a statutory majority of all votes cast, Representative Manning was declared the duly elected Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives of the One Hundred Thirty-Sixth General Assembly of the State of Ohio.

Upon being presented, Representative Manning was administered the oath of office by The Honorable Patrick F. Fischer, Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, and entered upon the discharge of her duties.

The next order of business being the election of the assistant speaker pro tempore, the majority floor leader, the assistant majority floor leader, and the majority whips of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Thirty-Sixth General Assembly of the State of Ohio.

Representative Manning offered the following resolution:

H. R. No. 1-Representative Manning

Relative to the election of the assistant speaker pro tempore, the majority floor leader, the assistant majority floor leader, and the majority whips for the 136th General Assembly of Ohio.

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly of Ohio have been advised that the caucus of Republican members have chosen Phil Plummer of House District #39 as assistant speaker pro tempore, Marilyn John of House District #76 as majority floor leader, Adam C. Bird of House District #63 as assistant majority floor leader, Riordan T. McClain of House District #87 as majority whip, Steve Demetriou of House District #35 as majority whip, Nick Santucci of House District #64 as majority whip, and Josh Williams of House District #44 as majority whip; therefore be it

RESOLVED, By the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly that Phil Plummer be, and upon adoption of this resolution is, hereby elected to the office of assistant speaker pro tempore; that Marilyn John be, and upon adoption of this resolution is, hereby elected to the office of majority floor leader; that Adam C. Bird be, and upon adoption of this resolution is, hereby elected to the office of assistant majority floor leader; that Riordan T. McClain be, and upon the adoption of this resolution is, hereby elected to the office of majority whip; that Steve Demetriou be, and upon the adoption of this resolution is, hereby elected to the office of majority whip; that Nick Santucci be, and upon the adoption of this resolution is, hereby elected to the office of majority whip; and that Josh Williams be, and upon the adoption of this resolution is, hereby elected to the office of majority whip.

The question being, "Shall the resolution be adopted?"

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted – yeas 95, nays 0, as follows:

Those who voted in the affirmative were: Representatives
Abdullahi Abrams Baker Barhorst
Bird Brennan Brent Brewer
Brownlee Callender Claggett Click
Cockley Craig Creech Daniels
Dean Deeter Demetriou Dovilla
Ferguson Fischer Fowler Arthur Ghanbari
Glassburn Grim Gross Hall, D.
Hall, T. Hiner Holmes Hoops
Humphrey Isaacsohn Jarrells John
Johnson Jones King Kishman
Klopfenstein Lampton LaRe Lawson-Rowe
Lear Lett Lorenz Manning
Mathews, A. Mathews, T. McClain McNally
Miller, J. Miller, K. Miller, M. Mullins
Newman Odioso Oelslager Peterson
Piccolantonio Pizzulli Plummer Rader
Ray Richardson Ritter Robb Blasdel
Robinson Roemer Rogers Russo
Salvo Santucci Sigrist Sims
Somani Stewart Swearingen Sweeney
Synenberg Teska Thomas, C. Thomas, D.
Thomas, J. Tims Troy Upchurch
White, A. White, E. Williams Willis
Workman Young Huffman-95

The resolution was adopted.

Upon being presented, the assistant speaker pro tempore, Representative Plummer; the majority floor leader, Representative John; the assistant majority floor leader, Representative Bird; the majority whips, Representatives McClain, Demetriou, Santucci, and Williams, were administered the oath of office by Honorable Patrick F. Fischer, Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, and entered upon the discharge of their duties.

The next order of business being the election of the minority leader, the assistant minority leader, the minority whip; and the assistant minority whip of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Thirty-Sixth General Assembly of the State of Ohio.

Representative Manning offered the following resolution:

H. R. No. 2-Representative Manning

Relative to the election of the minority leader, the assistant minority leader, the minority whip, and the assistant minority whip for the 136th General Assembly of Ohio.

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly of Ohio have been advised that the caucus of Democrat members has chosen C. Allison Russo of House District #7 as minority leader, Dontavius L. Jarrells of House District #1 as assistant minority leader, Dani Isaacsohn of House District #24 as minority whip, and Michele Grim of House District #43 as assistant minority whip; therefore be it

RESOLVED, By the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly that C. Allison Russo be, and upon adoption of this resolution is, hereby elected to the office of minoirty leader, Dontavius L. Jarrells be, and upon adoption of this resolution is, hereby elected to the office of assistant minority leader; that Dani Isaacsohn be, and upon adoption of this resolution is, hereby elected to the office of minority whip; and that Michele Grim be, and upon adoption of this resolution is, hereby elected to the office of assistant minority whip.

The question being, "Shall the resolution be adopted?"

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted – yeas 86, nays 4, as follows:

Those who voted in the affirmative were: Representatives
Abdullahi Abrams Baker Bird
Brennan Brent Brewer Brownlee
Callender Click Cockley Craig
Creech Daniels Deeter Demetriou
Dovilla Fischer Fowler Arthur Ghanbari
Glassburn Grim Hall, D. Hall, T.
Hiner Holmes Hoops Humphrey
Isaacsohn Jarrells John Johnson
Jones King Kishman Klopfenstein
Lampton LaRe Lawson-Rowe Lett
Manning Mathews, A. Mathews, T. McClain
McNally Miller, J. Miller, K. Miller, M.
Newman Odioso Oelslager Peterson
Piccolantonio Pizzulli Plummer Rader
Ray Richardson Ritter Robb Blasdel
Robinson Roemer Rogers Russo
Salvo Santucci Sigrist Sims
Somani Stephens Stewart Swearingen
Sweeney Synenberg Thomas, C. Thomas, D.
Thomas, J. Tims Troy Upchurch
White, A. White, E. Williams Willis
Young Huffman-86

Representatives Claggett, Dean, Ferguson, and Lear voted in the negative-4.

The resolution was adopted.

Upon being presented, the minority leader, Representative Russo; the assistant minority leader, Representative Jarrells; the minority whip, Representative Isaacsohn; and the assistant minority whip, Representative Grim, were administered the oath of office by Honorable Patrick F. Fischer, Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, and entered upon the discharge of their duties.

The next order of business being the election of the Clerk of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Thirty-Sixth General Assembly of the State of Ohio.

Representative Manning offered the following resolution:

H. R. No. 3-Representative Manning

Relative to the election of the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

BE IT RESOLVED, By the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly, that Bradley J. Young be, and upon adoption of this resolution is, hereby elected to the office of Clerk; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the term of office of the Clerk shall be for a period of two years.

The question being, "Shall the resolution be adopted?"

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted – yeas 95, nays 0, as follows:

The resolution was adopted.

Having received a statutory majority of all votes cast, Bradley J. Young was duly elected Clerk of the Ohio House of Representatives, and having been administered the oath of office by The Honorable Patrick F. Fischer, Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, entered upon the discharge of his duties.

Representative Manning offered the following resolution, requesting that it be read by title only and spread upon the pages of the journal:

H. R. No. 4-Representative Manning

Relative to employment and compensation of employees of the House of Representatives preparatory to and during House organization.

BE IT RESOLVED, By the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly, that the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives is hereby authorized to pay all employees actually employed preparatory to House organization of the 136th General Assembly from December 30, 2024 to January 6, 2025, the date of the convening of the 136th General Assembly, at the same salary that was paid them during the 135th General Assembly.

The question being, "Shall the resolution be adopted?"

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted – yeas 96, nays 0, as follows:

The resolution was adopted.

Representative Manning offered the following resolution, requesting that it be read by title only and spread upon the pages of the journal:

H. R. No. 5-Representative Manning

To provide for the offering of the pledge of allegiance to the flag by the members of the House of Representatives at the opening session of each week.

BE IT RESOLVED, That the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly shall make the following pledge of allegiance to the flag at the opening session of each week.

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

The question being, "Shall the resolution be adopted?"

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted – yeas 96, nays 0, as follows:

The resolution was adopted.

Representative Manning offered the following resolution, requesting that it be read by title only and spread upon the pages of the journal:

H. R. No. 6-Representative Manning

Relative to attendance at conferences and meetings.

WHEREAS, During the 136th General Assembly (2025-2026), important conferences and meetings of national or statewide interest may be called, especially of interest to the House of Representatives; therefore be it

RESOLVED, By the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly, that, if in the judgment of the Speaker, any conferences or meetings, either national or state, are deemed to be of sufficient importance to warrant attendance of members or officers of the House, the Speaker shall designate members or officers to attend; and be it further

RESOLVED, That expenses incurred incident thereto of any member or officer so designated by the Speaker shall be paid out of appropriate funds of the House.

The question being, "Shall the resolution be adopted?"

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted – yeas 96, nays 0, as follows:

The resolution was adopted.

Representative Manning offered the following resolution, requesting that it be read by title only and spread upon the pages of the journal:

H. R. No. 7-Representative Manning

Relative to certain letters to be signed by the Speaker of the House on behalf of the House and sent to persons or groups in lieu of any resolutions on the subject.

BE IT RESOLVED, By the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly, that upon the request of any member, the Speaker of the House of Representatives may, at the Speaker's discretion, sign letters of commendation, congratulations, or condolence to persons or organizations named in the request on behalf of the House and in its name, and arrange for transmittal therefor to such persons or organizations as may be designated in the request.

The question being, "Shall the resolution be adopted?"

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted – yeas 96, nays 0, as follows:

The resolution was adopted.

Representative Manning offered the following resolution, requesting that it be read by title only and spread upon the pages of the journal:

H. R. No. 8-Representative Manning

Relative to the appointment and salaries of the officials and employees of the House of Representatives and empowering the Majority Caucus Chief of Staff and Chief Administrative Officer to take administrative actions on behalf of the House.

BE IT RESOLVED, By the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly, that in addition to those officers previously or subsequently elected by resolution of the House, the Speaker is hereby authorized to appoint such additional staff as may be required for the purpose of facilitating the work of the House of Representatives and to fill any vacancies in positions as officers or employees; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the officers and employees of the House of Representatives be compensated as determined by the Majority Caucus Chief of Staff and in consultation with the Chief Administrative Officer, with the approval of the Speaker; and be it further

RESOLVED, That compensation changes shall be made only upon the recommendation of the Majority Caucus Chief of Staff and in consultation with the Chief Administrative Officer, with the approval of the Speaker; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Majority Caucus Chief of Staff shall have the direct supervision and management of all officers and employees of the House of Representatives. The Clerk shall have the direct supervision and management of those employees who by reason of their duties fall within the specific area of responsibility of the Clerk. The Majority Caucus Chief of Staff, in consultation with the Chief Administrative Officer or the Clerk as applicable, may discharge or direct the Chief Administrative Officer to discharge any officer or employee of the House of Representatives, with the approval of the Speaker; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this resolution shall govern all actions taken by the 136th General Assembly and that all of the foregoing salaries be paid from the appropriate funds of the House of Representatives; and be it further

RESOLVED, That except in cases in which the signature or approval of the Speaker is required by law, the Majority Caucus Chief of Staff and the Chief Administrative Officer of the House are hereby directed and empowered to act and sign on behalf of the House of Representatives as a public agency.

The question being, "Shall the resolution be adopted?"

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted – yeas 96, nays 0, as follows:

The resolution was adopted.

Representative Manning offered the following concurrent resolution, requesting that it be read by title only and spread upon the pages of the journal:

H. C. R. No. 1-Speaker Huffman, Representative Russo

Relative to a committee to wait upon the Governor to let him know the 136th General Assembly is in session.

BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), that a committee of eight on the part of the House of Representatives and eight on the part of the Senate be appointed to wait upon and inform the Governor that the two houses of the 136th General Assembly have organized and are ready to receive any communication he may desire to transmit.

The question being, "Shall the concurrent resolution be adopted?"

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted – yeas 96, nays 0, as follows:

The concurrent resolution was adopted.

Representative Manning offered the following concurrent resolution, requesting that it be read by title only and spread upon the pages of the journal:

H. C. R. No. 2-Representative Manning

Relative to the appointment of a joint committee to attend the inauguration of the President of the United States.

WHEREAS, On the Twentieth Day of January, 2025, the inauguration of the President of the United States will take place in the City of Washington, District of Columbia; and

WHEREAS, It is fitting that the State of Ohio be represented in its official capacity at said inauguration of the President of the United States, on the Twentieth Day of January, 2025, in the City of Washington, District of Columbia; therefore be it

RESOLVED, By the members of the 136th General Assembly of Ohio, that a committee not to exceed eight members of each house, be selected by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate to attend and represent the State of Ohio at said inauguration of the President of the United States.

The question being, "Shall the concurrent resolution be adopted?"

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted – yeas 96, nays 0, as follows:

The concurrent resolution was adopted.

Message from the Senate

Mr. Speaker:

I am directed to inform the House of Representatives that the Senate is now in session and ready for the transaction of business.

Attest: Vincent L. Keeran,

Clerk.

The Speaker then addressed the House as follows:

Members of the House, before we adjourn, I did need to take this opportunity to thank a few people and just make some brief remarks, because I think it's still snowing and your families are here and there are things to be done. I also, like Speaker Stephens, want to thank the staff, especially the Clerk's Office, who put this day together, and all of the other things, not just this session, but throughout the state capital. It's been wonderful.

I wanted to thank my family, Sheryl, in fact, we have been married 40 years. That's remarkable for her. I tell you, 45 years ago, standing on the green outside the football stadium at Notre Dame, she said to me, I think you have potential, and then like last week, she just said the same thing to me. So, she still thinks I have potential and so I'm looking forward to the next 30 to 40. We'll see what happens. Also, my son Sam, kind of looking like a security guard is sitting right over there. When Sam was four years old, I was sworn in as president of the Lima City Council, and in the middle of the meeting, he stood up on a chair and yelled, "Hi, Daddy!" Last month my daughters gave a very nice speech over in the atrium about me, and I think Sam thought he was going to get to speak today, but you're not, so thanks for coming anyway.

I do have to tell this story. So my dad was a United States Marine. He got a free trip to Korea in 1952, in combat for a year and when he came back, he was a recruiting officer. They lived in Sidney, Ohio, my mom and dad, she was pregnant with my oldest brother, Larry, and the Marine Corps asked him to sign up for another three years because they thought he was doing a great job as a recruiting officer. And he indicated he was all done with the Marines at that point, and wanted to move on. And the Marine Corps doesn't like it when you say no to them. So, they transferred him from Sidney to Columbus, Ohio. Without any provisions for housing or anything. My mom, six months pregnant, had to go live with his parents in Dayton, Ohio, and my dad lived in what was then the Knights of Columbus over on Fifth Street. The building is still there. And he would walk down the street to the old post office building right across the street, which is now a law office, and when I was in the House before, I could look out the window and see that building and think about him. And things are, believe it or not, a lot easier for us today than they were then.

So, I think if we all think about the people who came before us, and the shoulders that we stand on. We're a lot... gratuity, and being grateful makes our days a lot easier. It is when I get to moments like this, I think about, well, I have some interesting words to say, but, then I always fall back on the fact that there are smarter people who came along long before us. One of them was a fellow who wrote a book about James Madison, and I want to read this to you because this might be the only time I have everyone's attention at the same time, but this author said of James Madison:

“Madison's trademark talent was superior preparation. He seldom missed a session and always seemed to have more facts on his fingertips than anyone else. Amid the flamboyant orators of the Virginia dynasty, he was almost invisible and wholly unthreatening, but the acknowledged master of the inoffensive argument, that so often proved decisive. He seemed so innocuous, even gentle, that it was impossible to unleash one's full fury against him without seeming a belligerent fool. His style, in effect, was not to have one. As a result, a Madisonian argument lacked all the emotional affectations, but struck with the force of pure thought, embedded in overwhelming amounts of evidence.”

And I've tried to do that. I invite many of you to try to do that also. We do need flamboyance, and so with that, I turn to, of course Abraham Lincoln, the great orator, who similarly said, and you'll recognize this:

“Neither let us be slandered for our duty by false accusations against us, nor frighten from it by menaces of destruction to the government or of dangers to ourselves. Let us have faith that right makes might. And in that faith, let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.”

So a couple of remarks from folks a lot smarter than me, but it might be helpful. Eighteen years ago, I was sworn in as a state representative in these very chambers, and although I had served on city council in Lima for 15 years and I was practicing law for 20, I didn't know very much about what I was doing. But I did have one advantage that most of you don't have and that was... Alice..., that I had Bill Batchelder as a friend and a mentor. I had a couple of interesting Batch stories. One of which was when I sat in the chair that Gayle Manning is sitting in, every once in a while he would stand up and he'd give me one of these, and I'd come up and I'd sit in this very chair and he'd give me an array of instructions about this member, that member, and etc., etc., and I have to tell you, sometimes, I was bewildered as to exactly what I was supposed to do, but, after I had a day or week or even years to think about it, it dawned on me, why it was that Bill was telling me what he was telling me, and that's why I asked Alice to come and swear me in today. Also, that's why I'm going to use Bill Batchelder's gavel with his name on it that he gave me ten years ago when conducting business here in the House. But I'm going to miss Bill, as we all do, who knew him, but I think that I'm going to be a better Speaker because of him.

While, some of you may be saying, well, you're no Batchelder, and you're no Madison, and you're no Lincoln, and that is all very true, but I can commit to a few things up here for you. First, I am committed to a professional, fact- based and thorough process in our analysis of the law and the bills that come before us. Our goal should be clarity and resolution. If we can resolve things, if we can make decisions and move on, that is one sign of success, and that's what I'm committed to.

To all ninety-eight of my fellow members, if there's something that I can do for you or the Speaker's Office can do for you, and it's something that I fairly feel that I will do, I will. Don't hesitate to ask. And if it may be that the answer is I don't think I can do that, but I can do this. But that is something that I think is incumbent upon the Speaker of the House that is a servant to the ninety-eight members. This is a pretty small club, in a group of eleven million people in the state of Ohio, and we get criticized often because we tend to work things out and then we get criticized because we don't work things out, but we're the only ones who are here making the votes. We're the only ones that we know what the job is. We are going to have many tears and smiles over the next two years. If we do this right, we'll have more smiles than tears. This is all metaphorical, of course, although it may actually happen. But I want to make sure that each of you know that my attempt is going to be to make sure that everyone is fairly heard, and ultimately we move forward on an effective professional decision making process.

Deacon Michael Huffman of the Saint Margaret of York Parish in Loveland Ohio, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, offered a benediction.

Pursuant to the motion of Representative Manning the following oath of office was entered upon the journal:

State of Ohio

County of Franklin

I, Jean Schmidt, do solemnly swear to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Ohio, and faithfully to discharge and perform all duties incumbent upon me as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, according to the best of my ability and understanding; and this I do as I shall answer unto God.

/s/ JEAN SCHMIDT

Jean Schmidt

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 6th day of January, 2025.

/s/ JENNIFER H. BLACK

Jennifer H. Black

Notary Public

State of Ohio

On motion of Representative Manning, the House adjourned until Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 9:00 o'clock a.m.

Attest: BRADLEY J. YOUNG,