Glossary
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Ohio Legislative Process

ACT— A bill passed by both the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate, then signed by the Governor.  It is the final official document.

APPORTIONMENT OF DISTRICTS— Ohio House and Senate districts are apportioned, or redrawn, every ten years by the state Apportionment Board, based on the census. The Apportionment Board consists of the Governor, Auditor of State, Secretary of State and one member of each party from the General Assembly.

BILL—A document by which a legislator proposes to enact a new law, amend or repeal an existing law.  “Bill” refers to the document from the time it is drafted and delivered to the legislator until it is passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and signed by the Governor, at which time it becomes an Act.

BUDGET BILLS – The legislative bills that appropriate moneys from the state treasury for the purposes of running state government. There are actually five separate “operating” budget bills introduced in the first (or odd) year of each General Assembly:  1) The main General Revenue Fund (GRF) budget; 2) Transportation budget; 3) Bureau of Workers Compensation budget; 4) Industrial Commission budget; and 5) Education budget.  All must be passed by June 30th of every odd-numbered year except the Transportation budget that must be passed by April 1st of each odd numbered year.  The operating budget bills always start in the House.

CAPITAL BILL - The legislative bill that appropriates moneys from the state treasury for the purposes of building, renovating and maintaining state facilities and state-supported community projects.  The Capital Bill is introduced and enacted in the second (or even numbered) year of each General Assembly.  Because it contains appropriations for many legislators’ pet projects and is passed in an election year, it is often referred to as a “pork barrel” measure.  

CAUCUS – A group of legislators who share an affiliation.  In the Ohio legislature, the term “caucus” normally refers to members of the same political party in each chamber.  There is both a majority (currently Republican) and minority (currently Democrat) caucus in the House and the Senate.

CHAMBER - A term used to refer to either the House or the Senate, as separate entities.  The General Assembly is comprised of two chambers – the House and the Senate.

COMMITTEES

• Standing Committee—Bills are heard by standing committees.  Every legislator serves on one or more standing committee(s).  All committees have bi-partisan membership; however, the majority party maintains control.  Committee chairs are also of the majority party. 
• Select Committee—Created by the General Assembly for a specific purpose, for a set amount of time, such as the House Select Committee on Retirement.
• Joint Committee—Created from standing committees of both chambers that meet in joint session to hear testimony simultaneously to expedite the progress of a bill or issue.

The Speaker of the House and/or the President of the Senate make all committee appointments.

CONSTITUENT—An individual who resides within the boundaries of a particular House, Senate, or congressional district.  “Constituent” is to legislator as “customer” is to business.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY—The official term for referring to both the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate.  Informally, both bodies are normally referred to as the “state legislature”. 

HOUSE DISTRICT – A distinct geographical area within the state that is represented by one member of the House of Representatives.  There are 99 House districts. District boundaries are determined by the State Apportionment Board every ten years (after a national census).  House districts must contain roughly equal populations (currently between 108,000 and 122,000 citizens).

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES—Often called the “lower chamber” or “people’s chamber”, it is one of two bodies within the General Assembly. The House consists of 99 members elected every two years from distinct districts. Members may serve no more than four consecutive terms (total eight years).

JCARR – Pronounced “J-Car”, the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review is comprised of five Senators and five Representatives.  The committee reviews proposed administrative rules offered by executive branch agencies.

LEGISLATOR—An individual elected to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives or the Ohio Senate.

LEGISLATURE—See “GENERAL ASSEMBLY”.  Both words are used interchangeably.

LOBBYING—A term for any number of activities that attempt to influence the passage or defeat of legislation or administrative rules and regulations.
 
LOBBYIST— Paid professionals who perform the role of “educator” for both the legislators, as well as an individual or organization that has employed them. 

PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE – The presiding officer of the Senate, chosen by majority caucus vote. The President of the Senate is the most powerful person in the Senate, appointing committee chairs and chairing the Rules committee.

RESOLUTION—Formal expressions of opinions and wishes of the General Assembly.  Unlike bills, resolutions do not require the approval of the Governor.  There are three types:  joint, concurrent, and simple.

ROLL CALL VOTES – Votes on bills or resolutions for which a record of each legislator’s vote is made. 

RULES COMMITTEE – The most powerful committee in both the House and the Senate.  The Rules Committees are chaired by the chambers’ presiding officers and determine which bills will be brought before each chamber for a vote.

SENATE— “Sometimes called the “upper chamber”, it is one of two bodies in the General Assembly.  The Senate has 33 members who can serve no more than two four-year consecutive terms (total 8 years).  One half of the members face election every two years—the odd-numbered districts in odd- numbered years, and the even-numbered districts in the even-numbered years.

SENATE DISTRICT – A distinct geographical area within the state that is represented by one senator.  There are 33 Senate districts in Ohio.  Each Senate District is comprised of 3 distinct and contiguous House districts.

SESSION— The official term for the meeting of the two chambers of the General Assembly.  Sessions run for a two-year period, beginning in January of every odd-numbered year and adjourning on December 31st of the even-numbered years. We are currently in the 127th session of the Ohio General Assembly. The term “session” is also commonly used to refer to a meeting of the House or Senate on a particular day when roll-call votes will be taken.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE – The presiding officer of the House of Representatives, chosen by a majority caucus vote. The Speaker of the House is the most powerful person in the House, appointing committee chairs and chairing the Rules Committee.

TERM LIMITS— Adopted by Ohio voters in 1992, term limits permit state legislators to serve for a total of eight consecutive years in a particular House or Senate seat.  State representatives can, if reelected, serve 4 two-year terms and state senators can, if reelected, serve 2 four-year terms. Senators must wait four years before being permitted to run again for the same seat.   Representatives must wait two years.

VOICE VOTE – Votes on amendments or resolutions may sometimes be taken by a calling for the yeas and nays in unison, known as a “voice vote”, as opposed to a roll call vote.

See Related

GRASSROOTS FACTS - Three Basic Branches

GRASSROOTS FACTS - Election Cycle

GRASSROOTS FACTS - Term Limits

GRASSROOTS FACTS - How a bill becomes law

GRASSROOTS FACTS - How to read a bill

GRASSROOTS FACTS - ALL

Updated: March 8, 2007