Louis Blessing

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 byLouis Terhar
Member of the
Ohio House of Representatives
from the 29th district
In office
January 7, 2013 – October 8, 2019
Preceded byLou Blessing
Chairman
Government Accountability and Oversight
In office
September 22, 2016 – December 31, 2018
Preceded byTim Brown
Chairman
Primary and Secondary Education
In office
February 8, 2019 – October 8, 2019
Preceded byAndrew Brenner
Personal details
Born (1980-11-11) November 11, 1980
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Heather Mann
​
(m. 2015)​
Children2
ResidenceColerain Township, Ohio
Alma materUniversity of Cincinnati
ProfessionElectrical engineer
NicknameBill

Early life, education, and pre-political career

Blessing 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

Energy

In 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

In 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

Along 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

In 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

Blessing, 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

Blessing entered the Ohio Senate on October 9, 2019, after the retirement of his predecessor Louis Terhar.

Committee assignments

During 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
Ohio House 29th District: Results 2012 to 2018[14]
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

Blessing and his wife Heather have two children: Louis William Blessing IV and James Warner Blessing.

References
  1. "Senator Louis W. Blessing III (R)". Ohio Senate. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  2. "Ohio Engineers and Surveyors Board". Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  3. "Energy bill passes House, but fight expected in Senate". The Harrison Press. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  4. "Ohio House passes bill to change renewable energy mandates". The News Center. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  5. "Governor Kasich signs 15 bills into Ohio law". ABC 6. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  6. "New heroin law takes aim at drug dealers". The Akron Legal News. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  7. "House bill would revise guidelines for Autism Scholarship program". The Akron Legal News. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  8. "Governor Signs House Bill 299 Into Law, Includes Great News for Autism Scholarship". School Choice Ohio. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  9. "Ohio House passes bill allowing drinking in designated public district". WLWT5. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  10. "State Passes H.B. 47 "Outdoor Refreshment Area Legislation"". City of Cincinnati. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  11. "Let them drink samples". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  12. "H.B. 444". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  13. "Senator Louis W. Blessing, III - Bio | The Ohio Senate". ohiosenate.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  14. "Hamilton County, Ohio Board of Elections". Hamilton County, Ohio Board of Elections. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
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