Rob McColley

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Rob McColley
97th President of the Ohio Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 6, 2025
Preceded byMatt Huffman
Majority Leader of the Ohio Senate
In office
January 3, 2023 – January 6, 2025
Preceded byKirk Schuring
Succeeded byTheresa Gavarone
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 5, 2017
Preceded byCliff Hite
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 81st district
In office
January 3, 2017 – December 5, 2017
Preceded byLynn Wachtmann
Succeeded byJim Hoops
Personal details
Born (1984-10-14) October 14, 1984 (age 40)
Political partyRepublican
EducationOhio State University (BS)
University of Toledo (JD)

Robert A. McColley (born October 14, 1984) is a Senator for the 1st District of the Ohio Senate, which includes Defiance, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, and Williams counties, as well as parts of Auglaize, Fulton, and Logan counties. McColley graduated from Napoleon High School (Ohio) in 2003 and then went on to attend Ohio State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Finance. He then attended the University of Toledo College of Law and graduated with a Juris Doctor in 2010.[1]

Prior to being appointed to the Senate, he represented the 81st Ohio House District as a State Representative where he also served in House leadership as Assistant Majority Whip.[2] Before being elected State Representative, he served in the Community Improvement Corporation of Henry County, where he oversaw economic development efforts for the county and worked to improve local workforce development efforts between manufacturers and schools in Henry and Williams counties.[3]

McColley lives in Napoleon with his wife, Denise, their daughter Anna, and their twin boys Matthew and Michael.[4]

In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, McColley and Senator Kristina Roegner introduced a bill that would immediately end Ohio's stay-at-home order and limit the state health director's ability to give similar orders. The bill is contrary to the recommendation of the country's top medical experts; Governor DeWine has promised to veto any bill that curb's the health director's authority during the crisis.[5]

In 2021, McColley was the lead sponsor on legislation that would make it harder to build solar and wind energy projects in Ohio. Solar and wind energy projects could be killed by local officials, whereas natural gas and oil projects could not.[6]

In 2021, McColley defended a proposed redistricting map for Ohio that was heavily gerrymandered in favor of Republicans.[7]

Abortion legislation

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In 2019, McColley co-sponsored Ohio Senate Bill 23, commonly referred to as the "Heartbeat Bill." This legislation bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detectable, typically around six weeks into pregnancy—before many people are aware they are pregnant. The bill includes no exceptions for rape or incest. It was signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine on April 11, 2019.[8]

McColley’s support for SB 23 was part of a broader legislative agenda to curtail abortion rights in Ohio. The bill was one of the strictest abortion bans enacted in the country at the time and generated significant legal and public backlash.[9]

In 2022, a Hamilton County court issued a temporary restraining order against enforcement of the law, restoring abortion access in the state up to 22 weeks of pregnancy while legal challenges moved forward.[10]

Committee assignments

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During the 134th General Assembly, McColley was assigned to the following committees:[11]

  • (Chair of) Energy and Public Utilities Committee
  • (Vice Chair of) Judiciary Committee
  • (Vice Chair of) Government Oversight and Reform Committee
  • Workforce and Higher Education Committee
  • Rules and Reference Committee

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Salay, Britt. "Gov. DeWine, State Sen. McColley expect budget to be ready by second deadline". Your Hometown Stations. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  2. ^ "Nuclear plant rescue clears Ohio Senate, but House punts". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  3. ^ Tobias, Andrew J. (2019-06-13). "Ohio officials seek to promote 3D-printing of prosthetics via law change". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  4. ^ Tobias, Andrew J. (2019-07-15). "Sherrod Brown, Rob Portman visit the border: Capitol Letter". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  5. ^ "2 Ohio state senators introduce bill that would 'immediately' end coronavirus shutdown". wkyc.com.
  6. ^ Zuckerman, Jake (2021-06-30). "Bill creating new hurdles for wind and solar heads to governor". Ohio Capital Journal. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  7. ^ Chow, Andy (2021-11-24). "Despite voter-approved anti-gerrymandering reforms, Ohio GOP still draws lopsided map". NPR. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
  8. ^ Ingber, Sasha (2019-04-11). "A Bill Banning Most Abortions Becomes Law In Ohio". NPR. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
  9. ^ "Ohio Senate Bill 23 - 2019". LegiScan. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
  10. ^ "Ohio Lower Court Blocks Six-Week Abortion Ban, Restoring Reproductive Rights Across State". ACLU. 2022-09-14. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
  11. ^ "Senator Rob McColley - Bio | The Ohio Senate". ohiosenate.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
[edit]
Ohio Senate
Preceded by Majority Leader of the Ohio Senate
2023–2025 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by President of the Ohio Senate
2025–present 		Incumbent
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