Valley House Republicans get committee assignments
Three Republican members of the Ohio House who represent the Mahoning Valley were named committee vice chairs.
State Rep. Tex Fischer, R-Boardman, was appointed Tuesday as vice chair of the House General Government Committee while state Rep. David Thomas, R-Jefferson, was named vice chair of the House Ways and Means Committee and state Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel, R-Columbiana, was selected as vice chair of the House Natural Resources Committee.
State Rep. Nick Santucci, R-Howland, wasn’t given a committee chairmanship or vice chairmanship because he serves on the nine-member Republican House leadership as one of the four majority whips.
Fischer, who was appointed to a vacant seat in June 2024 and then elected to a full four-year term in November, also was named by House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, to serve on three other committees: Energy, Development and Natural Resources.
“I’m very happy with the committees, and I’m looking forward to a productive session,” Fischer said.
General Government is a newly-created committee that will work on reforming how state government operates while Energy and Natural Resources used to be one committee.
“I’m going to work on creating consistency to help with economic development,” Fischer said. “Our state has issues with permitting and zoning processes. I want to find a way to respect local governments while finding consistency. It is one of my priorities.”
Fischer said the Energy Committee in particular will be very active working to find ways to generate and transmit energy.
Fischer represents the 59th Ohio House District, which includes portions of Mahoning County and two townships in Columbiana County.
Thomas, who is serving his first two-year term, said his lone request was to serve on Ways and Means and it’s a “blessing” to be vice chairman of it as a freshman legislator.
“I pushed for it because of its influence on writing tax laws,” said Thomas, a former Ashtabula County auditor who campaigned on a platform that included reforming property taxes.
Thomas said: “The committee will deal with property tax issues. We have a clear mandate to take action. I hope it’s substantive and long-term and not passing easy bills that mean nothing. It will be a lot of incremental changes that are long-term focused, but also has to address issues now. This is a problem that’s not going away.”
Thomas also was named as a member of three other committees: Energy, Public Insurance and Pensions, and Arts, Athletics and Tourism.
“The Energy Committee is going to be huge,” Thomas said. “We’ll see some large movement on more affordable and reliable energy because we have a huge demand and low supply. We need to supply more energy. The transmission of power will be one of the top priorities of the House this session.”
Thomas represents the 64th House District, which includes parts of Trumbull and Ashtabula counties.
Members of House leadership do not hold chair or vice chair positions on committees, Santucci said.
Santucci was appointed to five committees: Rules and Reference, Development, Ways and Means, Workforce and Higher Education, and Veterans and Military Development.
In the last session, Santucci served as vice chairman of what was called the House Economic and Workforce Development Committee.
Huffman reduced the number of committees in the House with this legislative session from 35 to 27 and changed the names of several of them. There are 65 Republicans in the House.
Regarding his committees, Santucci said: “I am honored to serve as majority whip in the Ohio House and to have been appointed by Speaker Huffman to key committees addressing critical state issues. On Ways and Means, I will advocate for fiscally responsible policies to sustain Ohio’s growth. Serving on the Veterans (and Military Development) Committee allows me to support those who have served our country. My role on the Workforce and Higher Education, and Development Committees provide opportunities to strengthen our economy, support students and foster job creation.”
Serving on Rules and Reference, which includes eight of the nine House leaders and is chaired by Huffman, “enables me to help shape our legislative priorities,” Santucci said. “I am committed to advancing District 64’s priorities and delivering results for all Ohioans.”
Santucci, who is serving his second two-year term, represents the 64th District, which includes portions of Trumbull County.
Robb Blasdel, who is also serving her second two-year term, was named vice chairwoman of the Natural Resources Committee. She is a member of three others: Energy, Transportation, and Arts, Athletics and Tourism.
Blasdel’s 79th House District includes all but two townships in Columbiana County and all of Carroll County.
State Rep. Lauren McNally, D-Youngstown, said the House Democrats received the list of committees Tuesday and will turn in their preferences shortly. She expects to find out her committee assignments sometime next week.
McNally represents the 58th House District, which includes portions of Mahoning County.