State Representative Timothy J. DeGeeter, 15th House District

Timothy J. DeGeeter serves as the State Representative for the 15th House District, which includes Brooklyn, Middleburg Heights, Parma and Linndale. He was appointed on December 2, 2003, and is serving his second full term in the Ohio House.

Currently, DeGeeter is serving on three House committees, as a member of Civil and Commercial Law Committee and Healthcare Access and Affordability Committee. And just as he was in the 126th General Assembly, so too, during the 127th does DeGeeter serve as Ranking Democratic member of the Criminal Justice committee where his legal background helps lead criminal justice policy efforts.

His strong desire to protect people has defined his service in the Ohio House of Representatives. In the 126th General Assembly, he was the primary sponsor of several key pieces of legislation, including: House Bill 99 (imposes restrictions on the sale and manufacture of methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug); and House Bill 191 (creates penalties for sex offenders who live within 1,000 feet of a school). During the current 127th General Assembly, DeGeeter, is the primary sponsor of House Bill 46, that would allow have a credit freeze law. He has been championing this consumer rights issue since 2005. This piece of legislation is supported by the Ohio Treasurer and Attorney General as it will give consumer's the ability to place a freeze on their credit report, and making the fight to eliminate identity theft more of a reality. Additionally, He introduced House Bill 485, which expands Ohio's Safe Haven law. The law allows mothers to give up their newborns to hospital, fire or police stations, no questions asked.

In addition to his legislative committee work, he along with a republican state senator created the bipartisan Ohio Prematurity Caucus which serves to raise awareness of premature births in Ohio and seek funding for such issue. The Governor's office appointed Rep. DeGeeter to serve on the Improving Forensic DNA Policy Project, a project to enhance forensic DNA analysis as a crime-solving tool and public safety.

Earlier this year, DeGeeter served on the Adam Walsh Study Commission created to oversee Ohio's implementation of the federal Adam Walsh Act that primarily focuses on sex offender registration and notification at the state level.

Previously, DeGeeter was a member of the Ohio Supreme Court Task Force on Pro Se and Indigent Litigants, a group that reviewed the issue of self-representation in the state's judicial system. The Task Force, which consisted of judges, county and state officials, and other legislators, released its recommendations in April 2006, after almost two years of extensive review of this issue. He was appointed by Chief Justice Moyer to the Task Force. DeGeeter has also served on the Ohio Child Support Guideline Advisory Council, a commission to which he was appointed by the Speaker of the House.

DeGeeter was among 37 select legislators - and one of two lawmakers from Ohio - to complete a leadership training program that identifies and assists promising state leaders in the Midwest. He met with 37 other select lawmakers from 10 Midwestern states in July 2006 for The Council of State Governments' 12th annual Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD) in Madison, Wis.

Rep. DeGeeter has garnered several awards for his work to protect Ohioans and their interests. In 2007, the Parma Council of PTAs presented the Ohio Lifetime Achievement Award to DeGeeter for his legislative efforts advocating for families and children. He has been a PTA member for eight years. DeGeeter also received the 2006 Ohio Child Advocacy Award from Moms for Ohio, a group that represents issues facing moms and families across the state. According to Moms for Ohio Director Theresa Fleming, he received the honor because he "is best known for his dedication to programs that help and protect Ohio families and children." Additionally, he is an honorary member of the Parma Education Association, and was a recipient of the Parma Chamber of Commerce Gem Award in 2004.

In addition to his work as a legislator, DeGeeter works as an attorney at a private law practice in Parma, which he established in 2000. In 2007, He was elected as the President of the Parma Bar Association for 2007-08.

DeGeeter previously served as a Ward 4 Parma City Councilman for five years, from 1998-2003. When he was first appointed at the age of 29, he was the youngest member to serve on council. As a Councilman, DeGeeter led a task force in collaboration with the West Creek Preservation Committee that saved the historic Henninger House, which was built in 1849 and is the oldest home in Parma. Henninger House was saved primarily through private donations and grants. The committee raised more than $500,000 in just four months.

DeGeeter also successfully chaired the Capt. James A. Lovell, Jr. Park Committee, a partnership of schools, businesses, city officials and residents who worked to restore and dedicate a city park after the Parma native and Apollo 13 astronaut. The two-year project concluded with a dedication ceremony attended by Capt. Lovell and his wife, Marilyn.

DeGeeter is a former assistant prosecutor for the City of Berea and assistant law director for the City of Avon Lake. He also is a member of several civic and community groups, including West Creek Preservation Committee, Parma Chamber of Commerce, Parma Area Redevelopment Corporation, Parma Democrat Club and the Parma Area Historical Society.

Born in 1969, DeGeeter is adopted. He was raised near South Bend, Indiana. He attended Holy Cross Junior College in Notre Dame, Ind., and then transferred to John Carroll University, where he received his bachelor's degree in political science in 1991. He earned a law degree in 1997 from Cleveland Marshall College of Law.

While attending law school, DeGeeter was published in the Journal of Law & Health. The law review article, "The Politics of Reducing Tobacco Use Among Children & Adolescents: Why the FDA Cannot Regulate Tobacco and a Proposed Policy for States and Local Communities" received "The Best Note Award" for 1995-96.

DeGeeter married Pamela Ann Smith in 1999. They met while attending law school and live in Parma. Pamela also is an attorney. They are expecting their first child in April, 2008.