Ryan P. Aument (born December 16, 1976) is an American politician and Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 36th district. Prior to his election to the State Senate in 2014, he served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, for the 41st District, which includes portions of Lancaster County.

Ryan Aument
Sen. Ryan Aument (R-36) speaks with members of the media at the Pennsylvania State Capitol building.
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate
from the 36th district
Assumed office
January 6, 2015 (2015-01-06)
Preceded byMike Brubaker
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 41st district
In office
January 4, 2011 (2011-01-04) – November 30, 2014 (2014-11-30)
Preceded byKatie True
Succeeded byBrett Miller
Personal details
Born (1976-12-16) December 16, 1976 (age 47)
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKate Aument
ResidenceEast Hempfield Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Alma materThe Citadel
AwardsBronze Star
Websitewww.senatoraument.com
Military service
AllegianceUnited States United States
Branch/service United States Army
Rank Captain
Battles/warsIraq War

Political career

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Ryan entered public service as the Lancaster County Clerk of Courts, the 56th individual to hold this position.[1] 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.[2][3] In November 2012, Aument defeated Marcy Dubroff and retained his house seat.[4]

In the 2014 election, Aument ran for retiring Mike Brubaker's seat in the State Senate. He defeated Gordon Denlinger in the Republican primary, then defeated Democrat Gary J. Schrekengost in the general election.[5]

On Feb 9th 2021, Aument was chosen by Governor Tom Wolf to be a part of the bipartisan COVID-19 taskforce.[6] 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.[7]

Aument is an opponent of abortion rights. 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.[8]

Aument is an opponent of LGBT rights. 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 or of gender identity in Pennsylvania elementary schools.[8]

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."[9]

Committee assignments

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  • Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure, Vice Chair[10]
  • Appropriations[10]
  • Communications & Technology[10]
  • Education[10]
  • Environmental Resources & Energy[10]
  • Judiciary[10]
  • Local Government[10]
  • Rules & Executive Nominations[10]

Military career

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Ryan served as a captain in the United States Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom, 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, Aument earned several awards, including the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal and Army Parachutist Badge. He graduated from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, in 1999.

References

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  1. ^ [1] Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ [2][dead link]
  3. ^ "Educator Effectiveness Project". Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
  4. ^ [3] Archived 2013-10-23 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Veronikis, Eric (4 November 2014). "Ryan Aument, Gary Schreckengost: Results are in from 36th Senate District in Lancaster County". The Patriot-News. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  6. ^ Ryan Boop (9 February 2021). "Senator Aument Appointed to Serve on COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Task Force".
  7. ^ Andrew Forgotch (10 March 2021). "Lancaster County's mass vaccination site opens its doors, gives 500 doses on first day". ABC27 News.
  8. ^ a b "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  9. ^ "Pa. Senate passes legislation banning ballot drop boxes, private funding of elections". pennlive. 2022-04-13. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h "Senator Ryan P. Aument". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
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