| Nancy Garland | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 20th district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 5, 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Jim McGregor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 25, 1954 Washington Court House, Ohio |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | New Albany, Ohio |
| Alma mater | Ohio University, George Mason University |
| Profession | Clinical Assistant |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Nancy Garland is a Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 20th District since 2009.
Contents |
After being raised in Washington Court House, Ohio, Garland attended Ohio University before attending George Mason for law. She previously was an aide for Congressman Jack Hightower, and spent decades of lobbying in Columbus and Washington, D.C., where she worked for the American Optometric Association and the American Physical Therapy Association. Garland most recently served as executive director of the Ohio Physical Therapy Association.[1]
Initially, Democrat Bev Campbell was the choice to try to take the 20th District from incumbent Republican Jim McGregor in 2008, but Representative Ted Celeste encouraged Garland to enter the race. As a result, a primary race came to fruition between Garland and Campbell. In the end, Garland won the race by about 2,750 votes.[2]
The general election against McGregor proved to be one of the closest watched House races of the cycle, with Republicans hitting Garland's lobbying history negatively.[3] In the end, Garland proved victorious, besting McGregor by more than 2,000 votes.[4]
In 2010, Garland was again targeted by Republicans as a potential pick-up, and she faced attorney Matt Carle in the general election.[5] The campaign again proved to be negative. In an overwhelmingly Republican year, Garland still beat Carle by 2,000 votes.[6] Now in her second term, Garland is serving as a member of the Criminal Justice Committee, the Finance and Appropriations Committee as ranking member of the Higher Education Subcommittee, and on the Health and Aging Committee. She also is a member of the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee; the Hospital Measures Advisory Council; the Joint Legislative Committee on Medicaid Technology and Reform; as well as the Chairman of the Ohio Women's Democratic Caucus.[7]
Garland has been critical of Governor John Kasich's initiative to privatize the Ohio Department of Development. She opposes the plan that allows JobsOhio, the new privatized Development, to take equity in companies, rather than simply granting or lending them money. She expressed concern that it could violate the constitutional prohibition on the state becoming a joint owner or stockholder in private companies.
A reintroduction from the 128th Ohio General Assembly, Garland supports legislation that bans texting while driving, and voted legislation to do this out of committee.[8] The bill passed the full Ohio House.[9]
Garland said she has spoken with teachers who have indicated cyber-bullying to be a considerable problem. "For me, I had a specific instance in one of my schools where a child had been bullied through cyber space. "As we become more of a society that communicates through the Internet and Facebook ... this is going to increase not decrease," she said.
In regards to prescription drug abuse, Garland has been a vocal advocate about finding prevention measures. "It is imperative that we enact this law to save Ohioans from the scourge of prescription-drug abuse," she has said.[10]