Important Issues that Matter Gun Control The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects your right to keep and bear arms.  As a lawyer, this mandate means a great deal to me. Attempts by the legislature to reduce crime through gun control actually infringes on a citizens Constitutional right to bear arms.  Moreover, it punishes law abiding citizens, and empowers criminals who will get theirs hands on guns regardless of what the law says.  Attempts at gun control also are of great concern to those of us who are hunters.             Abortion / Right to Life issues I am strongly pro-life and would oppose any legislation that promotes abortion.  Furthermore, I do not believe that there should be any exceptions to this pro-life stance.              Taxes and Economic Development The primary issue facing the State of Ohio at the present time is the economy.  Ohio needs a tax policy that promotes business growth, especially for small businesses, and allows workers to keep more of the money they earn.  Ohio ranks 46th in the Tax Foundation's State Business Tax Climate Index.  In addition, Ohio’s state/local tax burden percentage ranks 5th highest in the nation.  Ohio must continue to reduce taxes and decrease the amount of regulation on businesses.  This should be Ohio’s number one priority so as to improve our state economy.  A better business climate creates jobs, increases the State’s tax base, and allows government to cut taxes.  I have a real plan to promote economic development that would include exploring tax credits for those companies willing to locate here and hire locally. This provides incentives for growth and gives our youth quality jobs so as to keep them from leaving the state. As a state legislator, I can affect our state tax policy, as well as act as an ambassador for outside businesses looking to relocate.  In addition, I can help mediate with local government to assist in locating those business interests to the district.   Youth Yet another critical issue facing the State of Ohio is our aging work force and the continued loss of our young people.  A recent study found that almost a half-million more Ohioans will leave the work force than enter it between 2011 and 2020.  Between 2000 and 2003, for example, the state lost 79,011 people aged 20-44.  People aged 25 to 34 are key to a region's economic growth because those are the ages when people put down roots, start families and get involved in their communities. Ohio must find a way to make the state more attractive to youth by increasing the number and quality of jobs available.  Otherwise, the retirement of the Baby-Boom generation will put an incredible strain on the State’s budget.   Education Ohio must continue to improve education as well as how it is funded.  Ohio recently earned a B-minus, tied for the second-highest grade, and a numeric score placing it seventh in Education Week's annual rankings of how well states are educating children.  This shows a great deal of progress over the last decade, but there is still a great deal to improve upon. While recent years have shown great strides in education funding and the disparity of funding between “rich” schools and “poor” schools, the issue still remains that our system of funding is flawed.  Emphasis on the STEM initiative (which promotes science, technology, engineering and math) and increased standards are paramount to future success.              Public Safety As a prosecutor and the father of 4 small children, public safety is very important to me.  Law enforcement must be given the tools it needs to fight crime.  This is especially true as the drug trade continues to ravage our communities. I have seen firsthand the effect that poorly drafted laws have on criminals.  As a lawyer – legislator, I will fight to pass laws that will protect our communities and our children from crime.   Farmland Preservation Ohio ranks second in the nation in the amount of prime farmland it is losing.  As someone who grew up on a large hog and grain farm, this is of great concern to me.  Currently, Ohio’s number one industry is agriculture, but that is in danger of changing. Ohio’s farmers need someone in Columbus who will fight for them.  That begins with continued support of state funding for agricultural easements and similar pro-agriculture issues. My commitment to Ohio Agriculture is evident by my background and my leadership in the agricultural community over the years.  As your state representative, I will continue that commitment.

Paid for by the Committee to Elect Craig Saunders
Kevin Gilliam, Treasurer