GILLMOR NAMED VICE-CHAIR OF SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE

Senator Karen L. Gillmor

26^thOhio Senate District

For Immediate Release:                                                         Contact: Elizabeth R. Eckels
Friday, February 6, 2009                                                                                             (614) 466-8049
                                                                                                 Elizabeth.Eckels@senate.state.oh.us

GILLMOR NAMED VICE-CHAIR OF SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE

SENATOR FROM 26^TH DISTRICT TO SERVE ON FIVE COMMITTEES INCLUDING AGRICULTURE

COLUMBUS (2/6/2009) – State Senator Karen Gillmor (R-Tiffin) this week was named vice chair man of the Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee.  Gillmor will also bring her more than 40 years of professional experience to the Agriculture; Energy and Public Utilities; and Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committees.  She was also named a member of the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review, the committee which ensures that state agency rules comply with applicable laws and legislative intent.

“Every committee plays an important role in shaping the future welfare of the citizens of Ohio,” Gillmor said.  “I bring with me 42 years of work experience in the areas of finance, insurance, healthcare, employment law, and education.  I’ll use this and my previous Senate experience to vigorously promote legislation that benefits our families, stimulates our economy, and brings positive change to the citizens of the 26^th District and across Ohio.”

Gillmor brings extensive experience to the Senate Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee, a committee she chaired during her Senate service in the 1990s.  She was appointed in 1997 by then-Governor George Voinovich to the State Employment Relations Board (reappointed in 2003) and served 10 years as vice chairman of the board which adjudicates labor disputes between public employers and 400,000 public employees.  Prior to that, Gillmor served as a consultant to then-U.S. Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole, and was appointed by Governor Voinovich to the Workers’ Compensation Board of Review.

Noting that her district, the 26^th Senate District, has been at the forefront of alternative energy development, Gillmor said she is pleased to be serving on the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee.  Her district includes two newly-opened POET ethanol plants.

Gillmor also stressed the importance of Ohio’s agriculture industry.  “Agriculture is the bread and butter industry of Ohio,” Gillmor said.  “With more than 25 percent of our manufacturing jobs lost since 2000, it’s more important than ever that we nurture Ohio farmers and the agribusiness community.  My district in particular is largely agricultural and the Gillmor family has been farming in Sandusky and Seneca Counties for generations, so I’m looking forward to my work on the Senate Agriculture Committee.” 

The Health, Human Services and Aging Committee will benefit once again from Gillmor’s experience.  During her previous tenure as Senator, she served as vice chairman of the committee and authored the first Women’s Health Initiative in the country.  Her work experience includes serving as manager of physician relations at OSU Medical Center and as Associate Director for the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research.

Gillmor was previously elected to represent the 26^th District in 1992 and again in 1996.  In 1992, Gillmor was the first freshman Senator to chair a standing committee, State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs.  For her work as a freshman Senator, she received the Outstanding Freshman Legislator Award from the United Conservatives of Ohio and the National Outstanding Freshman Legislator of the Year Award from the National Republican Legislators Association. 

Gillmor represents Ohio’s 26^th Senate District which is made up of Crawford, Logan, Marion, Sandusky, Union, Wyandot, and parts of Ottawa and Seneca Counties.