Congressman Troy Balderson was sworn in as a Member of the United States House of Representatives on September 5, 2018 and represents Ohio’s 12th Congressional District. Troy currently serves on the House Agriculture Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
A lifelong Ohioan, Troy was born and raised in Muskingum County and graduated from Zanesville High School. He attended Muskingum College and The Ohio State University, and worked on the family farm and for his family-owned automotive dealership before pursuing a career in public service.
The manufacturing and agriculture industries in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District produced a combined roughly $108.4 billion in sales in 2017. We have our hardworking producers to thank for our nation’s abundant supply of food and manufactured goods, and the best way to do so is by helping these sectors thrive. That’s why it’s vital we support our farmers and manufacturers right here in Ohio by reducing red tape and promoting policies that support these sectors.
My passion for agriculture stems from my childhood, when I worked on my family's farm – growing corn and soybeans and raising cattle – and participated in the Muskingum County 4-H Club. I'm proud to serve on the Agriculture Committee, as agriculture issues are not isolated to America’s farms and ranches. These issues affect everyone and have a profound impact in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District, where the agriculture sector creates thousands of jobs.
Our state and country depend on the success of robust manufacturing and agriculture sectors, and thousands of Ohioans rely on jobs in these fields. We need to equip our producers with the tools they need to navigate an inherently uncertain business market, while protecting American taxpayer dollars and fixing ineffective and flawed programs. As your congressional representative, I will continue to uphold our nation’s commitment to our farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers.
Fostering a successful Ohio job market is my top priority in Congress. Ensuring a healthy, prosperous job market translates into opportunities for Ohioans.
The number one issue I hear from business owners is their need for more skilled workers. One of my driving passions has always been workforce development, and that’s why I’m proud to be the Ranking Member of the Innovation and Workforce Development Subcommittee of the House Small Business Committee. We need to find solutions that support our workforce and businesses alike so that today’s students are better prepared to enter tomorrow’s job market. Let’s think outside the textbook and get potential employees the skills development and training they need to secure meaningful jobs, and let’s help those employers maximize their efficiency by filling vacant roles.
In Ohio, nearly 97% of all businesses are considered small businesses. These companies employ nearly 2.2 million Ohioans, almost half of our state. Annually, Ohio’s small businesses produce $10 billion in revenue, yet often face struggles we may not always realize. As a former small business employee, I understand the challenges and setbacks that our nation’s small businesses face. These issues include lack of capital – whether human or financial – burdensome taxes, outdated technology and inadequate cybersecurity infrastructure, and lack of access to the types of resources larger firms and companies have. I want to ensure that all of Ohio’s businesses, no matter the size, can thrive in the local, national, and global marketplaces.
To work toward a fully-developed economy and job market, we need creative approaches to partnerships and resources. We need to cut red tape that bogs down the system and stalls small businesses’ progress, and we need to lift up those that drive our economy forward. I’m working to ensure we aren’t sticking to the status quo. The necessary changes to support jobs and job creators can start in Ohio and be reinforced with innovative policy initiatives.
In the United States, Ohio ranks as one of the top-five states with the highest rates of opioid-related overdose deaths. In 2016, there were 4,329 opioid-related overdose deaths in Ohio – more than double the national average at the time, and more than three times that amount in 2010. Between July 2016 and September 2017 – just over a year – Ohio experienced a nearly 3% increase in opioid overdoses. These numbers illustrate a startling reality of how rapidly this epidemic is worsening and highlight our urgent need for solutions.
We know that a major contributing factor in what led to the opioid epidemic began in the late 1990s, when healthcare providers were assured that patients would not become addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers and began prescribing them at greater rates. Widespread use led to widespread misuse before we, as a country, realized how highly-addictive these medications are. Yet, over-prescribing remains a driving factor of this epidemic. In 2012, there were more opioid prescriptions in the state of Ohio than there were people.
What’s more, prescription opioid dependency often leads to abuse of other – often cheaper – alternatives, such as heroin. Four out of five heroin addicts in Ohio and across the country started with prescription painkillers. Those who die as a result of a heroin overdose, along with those who die from an overdose of a prescription opioid or an illicitly-manufactured synthetic opioid, such as fentanyl, account for the deaths of more than 47 thousand Americans in 2017.
Since coming to Congress, I’ve made combating the growing opioid epidemic one of my top priorities. One life taken by this crisis is one too many, and I know firsthand that opioids have devastated the lives of Ohioans across the state. I will continue to work each day to find innovative solutions centered on research, increased access to addiction treatment and support, and enhanced communication among key parties such as prescribers, distributors, and law enforcement agencies.
Rural communities make up a significant portion of Ohio's 12th Congressional District, and I am working to make sure these communities are not forgotten. Of critical importance is the issue of access to high-speed broadband internet. Without reliable connectivity, rural residents face disadvantages that put them behind their urban and suburban counterparts.
E-Connectivity benefits rural residents by: enhancing healthcare options by providing telemedicine services and additional tools to fight the opioid epidemic, closing the homework gap by providing rural students the same ability to research and access educational materials as their urban and suburban peers, and expanding rural entrepreneurship by opening up the digital marketplace to small businesses so they can compete. In addition, rural farmers supply food for our country, rural labor keeps our manufacturing base strong, and rural energy exports keep America powered.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture operates the Rural eConnectivity Pilot Program, or ReConnect, which provides high-speed broadband internet and related infrastructure to rural areas around the United States. This program is fundamental to ensuring rural Americans, including those in Ohio, gain access to high-speed internet, but too many areas are still underserved.
All Ohioans need online access to critical services and opportunities. It is vital we ensure our rural communities have access to high-speed broadband internet so we can level the playing field and help Ohio prosper.
Few things directly impact the lives of Ohioans on a daily basis as much as our infrastructure. Each day, we rely on Ohio’s highways, airways, and railways to get us all the places we need to go. Similarly, the livelihood of Ohio’s businesses relies on sound infrastructure to transport materials, products, and workers.
Despite this, each of us wastes an average of one year of our lives sitting in traffic. Roads and bridges that haven’t been modernized in decades are crumbling around us. In the state of Ohio, 6.9% of all bridges are rated as structurally deficient, while 17% of public roads are in poor condition. Our communities continue to evolve and expand, yet our infrastructure network remains stuck in the past. It’s past time we update our infrastructure, bringing it into the 21st Century to adapt to modern life.
As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I have a seat at the table to discuss the important transportation issues affecting Ohio. Investing our resources in improving our infrastructure can also lead to collateral benefits, such as jobs for Ohioans and reinvigorating the local economy. There are many reasons to upgrade and fortify our outdated infrastructure, and I’m committed to looking for solutions to our critical needs.
As the leader of the free world, the United States of America boasts a military with unparalleled pride, tradition, and history. Our brave and dedicated servicemembers and their families make significant sacrifices to protect our freedoms, both at home and abroad.
As such, our country has no higher commitment than to take care of our active duty military, their families, and our veterans. We must honor the promises and commitments we have made to our military veterans and ensure the necessary services and care are always available and delivered in a timely fashion. This includes adequate and safe equipment, health care and counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, and other service-related ailments, employment opportunities and job training, post-service workforce development and transition resources, as well as the disability and retirement benefits our veterans have earned through their courageous service.
Ohio's 12th Congressional District is home to the 179th Airlift Wing, a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard stationed at Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard Base, and the headquarters of The American Legion Department of Ohio. With 850 thousand military veterans across our state, I am honored to serve those heroes living in Ohio's 12th Congressional District, and I will continue to advocate for policies that serve our veterans and military families.
Fostering a successful Ohio job market is my top priority in Congress. Ensuring a healthy, prosperous job market translates into opportunities for Ohioans.
The number one issue I hear from business owners is their need for more skilled workers. One of my driving passions has always been workforce development, and that’s why I’m proud to be the Ranking Member of the Innovation and Workforce Development Subcommittee of the House Small Business Committee. We need to find solutions that support our workforce and businesses alike so that today’s students are better prepared to enter tomorrow’s job market. Let’s think outside the textbook and get potential employees the skills development and training they need to secure meaningful jobs, and let’s help those employers maximize their efficiency by filling vacant roles.
In Ohio, nearly 97% of all businesses are considered small businesses. These companies employ nearly 2.2 million Ohioans, almost half of our state. Annually, Ohio’s small businesses produce $10 billion in revenue, yet often face struggles we may not always realize. As a former small business employee, I understand the challenges and setbacks that our nation’s small businesses face. These issues include lack of capital – whether human or financial – burdensome taxes, outdated technology and inadequate cybersecurity infrastructure, and lack of access to the types of resources larger firms and companies have. I want to ensure that all of Ohio’s businesses, no matter the size, can thrive in the local, national, and global marketplaces.
To work toward a fully-developed economy and job market, we need creative approaches to partnerships and resources. We need to cut red tape that bogs down the system and stalls small businesses’ progress, and we need to lift up those that drive our economy forward. I’m working to ensure we aren’t sticking to the status quo. The necessary changes to support jobs and job creators can start in Ohio and be reinforced with innovative policy initiatives.