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 third full term in the Ohio House.

DeGeeter currently for the 128th General Assembly serves as Chair of the Public Utilities Committee, and also serves on Economic Development Committee, Criminal Justice Committee, Faith Based Initiatives Committee, and Rules and Reference Committee.

He previously served as the Ranking Democratic member of the Criminal Justice Committee for the 126th and 127th General Assemblies.

During the 127th General Assembly, DeGeeter was the primary sponsor of House Bill 46, which created a Credit Freeze Law in Ohio and was signed by the Governor in May 2008. He had been championing this consumer rights issue since 2005. The Credit Freeze Law gives consumer's the ability to place a freeze on their credit report, and is a proactive approach to eliminating identity theft. Additionally, he has previously introduced legislation to expand Ohio's Safe Haven law; to imposes restrictions on the sale and manufacture of methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug); and to create penalties for sex offenders who live within 1,000 feet of a school).

In addition to his legislative committee work, he serves as a co-chair of the bipartisan Ohio Prematurity Caucus which serves to raise awareness of premature births in Ohio and seek funding for such issue. DeGeeter was appointed by Governor Ted Strickland to serve on the Improving Forensic DNA Policy Project, a project to enhance forensic DNA analysis as a crime-solving tool and public safety.

In 2008 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.

DeGeeter also participated in an esteemed leadership training program that identifies and assists promising state leaders in the Midwest. He met with other select lawmakers from Midwestern states in July 2006 for The Council of State Governments' 12th annual Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD) in Madison, Wisconsin.

In 2004, 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.

Rep. DeGeeter has garnered several awards for his work to protect Ohioans and their interests. As one of the co-founders of a program called Leadership for Tomorrow, he works with Parma public and private school fifth graders, to educate them on the workings of city and state government and to encourage students to become more active and involved in their community. DeGeeter, along with other Parma City Government officials, received the 2008 Parma Chamber Pride Award for their establishment of the successful program in partnership with the Parma City School District. 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. And in 2004, DeGeeter was named the Parma Democrat of the Year by the Parma Democrat Club.

Besides serving as a legislator, DeGeeter works as an attorney at a private law practice in Parma, which he established in 2000. He was elected as the President of the Parma Bar Association for 2007-08. DeGeeter is also a former assistant prosecutor for the City of Berea and assistant law director for the City of Avon Lake.

DeGeeter previously served as a Ward 4 Parma City Councilman, from 1998-2003. When he was first appointed at the age of 29, he was the youngest member to serve on City 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. 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. 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 for creating the Capt. James A. Lovell, Jr. Park Committee.

Born in 1969, DeGeeter was adopted. He was raised near South Bend, Indiana. He attended Holy Cross Junior College in Notre Dame, Ind., and transferred to the 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. In2008, they were blessed with the birth of their son, Jack.