Kris Jordan


Kris Jordan is a Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives. Formerly, he served in the Ohio Senate. He previously served in the Ohio House of Representatives from the 2nd District. He is the former Chairman of the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee.

Career

After graduation from the Ohio State University, Jordan served two terms as a Delaware County Commissioner and worked for Rep. Joan Lawrence and as a Legislative Aide to Rep. Jon Peterson. Senator Jordan is a member of the Delaware County Farm Bureau, Hiram Masonic Lodge, the Delaware County Township Association and the County Commissioner Association of Ohio.
With incumbent Jon Peterson unable to run again because of term limits in 2008, Jordan, a former aide of Peterson, sought to replace him. Among four candidates, Jordan secured the Republican nomination with 53.31% of the vote. He won the general election against Democrat Janice Lanier with 61.29% of the vote. After his victory, colleagues named Jordan House assistant minority whip. Speaker of the House Armond Budish also named Jordan as a member of the Controlling Board.

Ohio Senate

In late 2009, Jordan announced that he would seek the Ohio Senate seat held by Bill Harris in 2010. The election race put Jordan against former Representative Thom Collier and Knox County GOP Party Chairman Lou Petros. Jordan won the GOP nomination with 53.9% of the vote. He won the general election with 69.08% of the vote against Democrat Neil Patel.
Jordan was sworn into his first term on January 3, 2011. Subsequently, Senate President Tom Niehaus appointed him to the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review, and the standing committees on Government Oversight and Reform; Health, Human Services and Aging; Highways and Transportation; Insurance, Commerce and Labor; Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee; and State and Local Government and Veteran's Affairs.

Policies, positions and initiatives

Abortion

In 2016, Jordan introduced the Ohio "Heartbeat Bill", a fetal heartbeat bill outlawing abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. The Ohio General Assembly passed the bill on December 6, 2016.

Fiscal issues

In one of his earliest initiatives, Jordan introduced legislation that would eliminate the Ohio estate tax. He has stated that it is an effort to help keep more small business owners and the jobs they create in Ohio. However, local governments see the bill as another potential blow to their already strained budgets.
Jordan is a proponent of fracking in state parks due to the potential benefits it could bring to solving Ohio's budgetary problems. He sees the usage of natural resources as an answer to help with fiscal recovery. He has been adamant about stating that there are no real environmental concerns surrounding fracking.

Personal life

In July 2011, Jordan was investigated for fourth degree domestic violence after an altercation with his wife in which she called 911 for help. Jordan told the Delaware County sheriff's deputies who responded to the call that his wife "got a little upset … girls do that."