Louis W. Blessing III (born November 11, 1980) is a Republican member of the Ohio Senate for the 8th district,[1] and a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives for the 29th District. He is the son of Lou Blessing, who previously served in the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives, before he was forced to step down due to term limits.
Louis W. Blessing III | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Ohio Senate from the 8th district | |
| Assumed office October 9, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Louis Terhar |
| Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 29th district | |
| In office January 7, 2013 – October 8, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Lou Blessing |
| Chairman Government Accountability and Oversight | |
| In office September 22, 2016 – December 31, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Brown |
| Chairman Primary and Secondary Education | |
| In office February 8, 2019 – October 8, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Andrew Brenner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 11, 1980 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Heather Mann (m. 2015) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Colerain Township, Ohio |
| Alma mater | University of Cincinnati |
| Profession | Electrical engineer |
| Nickname | Bill |
Early life, education, and pre-political career
editBlessing was born in 1980 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Louis William and Linda Ann (née Lameier) Blessing Jr. He graduated from La Salle High School in Cincinnati in 1999, and then from the University of Cincinnati in 2003, earning a B.A. in Mathematics. He later went on to obtain a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 2007.
As a practicing engineer, Blessing earned his professional engineer's license in 2011.[2]
Ohio General Assembly
editOhio House of Representatives
editEnergy
editIn 2017 Blessing introduced H.B. 114,[3] legislation aimed at reducing energy efficiency mandates and eliminating renewable energy mandates in Ohio. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support.[4]
Banking and Finance
editIn 2017 Blessing introduced H.B. 199. This legislation created the Ohio Residential Mortgage Lending Act for the purpose of regulating all non-depository lending secured by residential real estate, limited the application of the current Mortgage Loan Law to unsecured loans and loans secured by other than residential real estate, and modified an exemption to the Ohio Consumer Installment Loan Act.[5]
Heroin epidemic
editAlong with Representative Jonathan Dever, Blessing jointly sponsored H.B. 171 in the 131st General Assembly. The legislation sought to get drug dealers off of the streets by decreasing the minimum amount of heroin to be considered a first-degree felony trafficking violation.[6]
Education
editIn 2015, Representatives Blessing and Jeff Rezabek jointly sponsored H.B. 299.[7] The legislation allows children who are with a legal, permanent or temporary custodian to apply for one of the state's Autism Scholarships. A constituent in Blessing's district, who is the legal guardian of a young girl with Autism, had lost the Autism scholarship. The legislation was ultimately passed and signed by governor John Kasich.[8]
Alcohol
editBlessing, with fellow Cincinnati Representative Denise Driehaus, introduced H.B. 47, which sought to establish "outdoor refreshment areas": areas designated by local governments that allow for open containers.[9][10]
In the 132nd General Assembly, Blessing sponsored H.B. 444, which allowed free sampling of alcohol beverages in restaurants.[11][12]
Ohio Senate
editBlessing entered the Ohio Senate on October 9, 2019, after the retirement of his predecessor Louis Terhar.
Committee assignments
editDuring the 14th General Assembly, Blessing was assigned to the following Ohio Senate committees:[13]
- (Chair of) Ways & Means Committee
- (Vice Chair of) Primary & Secondary Education Committee
- Finance Committee
- Transportation Committee
Electoral history
edit| Year | Republican | Votes | Pct | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Green | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Louis W. Blessing III | 31,427 | 61.27% | Hubert E. Brown | 19,869 | 38.73% | |||
| 2014 | Louis W. Blessing III | 20,746 | 67.34% | Tammy Simendinger | 8,852 | 28.73% | Nathan D. Lane | 1,209 | 3.92% |
| 2016 | Louis W. Blessing III | 37,138 | 100% | ||||||
| 2018 | Louis W. Blessing III | 28,386 | 64.43% | Carrie R. Davis | 15,668 | 35.57% |
Personal life
editBlessing and his wife Heather have two children: Louis William Blessing IV and James Warner Blessing.
References
edit- ^ "Senator Louis W. Blessing III (R)". Ohio Senate. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "Ohio Engineers and Surveyors Board". Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ "Energy bill passes House, but fight expected in Senate". The Harrison Press. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ "Ohio House passes bill to change renewable energy mandates". The News Center. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Governor Kasich signs 15 bills into Ohio law". ABC 6. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ "New heroin law takes aim at drug dealers". The Akron Legal News. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ "House bill would revise guidelines for Autism Scholarship program". The Akron Legal News. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ "Governor Signs House Bill 299 Into Law, Includes Great News for Autism Scholarship". School Choice Ohio. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ "Ohio House passes bill allowing drinking in designated public district". WLWT5. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ "State Passes H.B. 47 "Outdoor Refreshment Area Legislation"". City of Cincinnati. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ "Let them drink samples". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ "H.B. 444". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ "Senator Louis W. Blessing, III - Bio | The Ohio Senate". ohiosenate.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
- ^ "Hamilton County, Ohio Board of Elections". Hamilton County, Ohio Board of Elections. Retrieved 23 April 2018.