Legislative Accomplishments
In 1992, Karen was elected to the first of two-terms in the State Senate representing the 26th District of Ohio. As a State Senator, Senator Gillmor was a member of numerous committees and served as Chairman of the Senate Insurance, Commerce, and Labor Committee; Chairman of the Senate State and Local Government & Veterans Affairs Committee; and the Vice Chair of the Senate Health Committee.
During her two-terms in the Ohio Senate, Senator Gillmor sponsored legislation to:
- Create the Office of Women’s Health Initiatives, a first of its kind in the nation;
- Prohibit smoking in daycare centers;
- Restructure various state agencies and eliminate two state agencies to streamline government operations;
- Require adult care facilities to complete criminal background checks on job applicants who provide direct care to patients;
- Standards for the safety and noise of personal watercraft on Ohio’s waterways;
- Authorize the transfer of convicts who are not citizens of the United States back to their native countries;
- Renew State Issue II to provide funding for local roads, bridges, water and sewer lines. Issue II was approved by 62% of Ohio voters in 1995;
- Provide a tax credit for employers who offer child childcare assistance to their employees.
Senator Gillmor was the principal co-sponsor of legislation that created the Ohio School Facilities Commission which has led to over $6.9 billion for the construction, renovation, and repair of school buildings around the state since 1997. She also sponsored an amendment to create managed health care for injured workers.
Senator Gillmor secured more than $15 million in state appropriations to improve the economy of the 26 th District in both the 1994 and 1996 budgets, thereby returning constituents’ tax dollars to the district.
Senator Gillmor secured more than $15 million in state appropriations to improve the economy of the 26 th District in both the 1994 and 1996 budgets, thereby returning constituents’ tax dollars to the district.
To create and retain jobs in Ohio and generate revenue for the benefit of local governments and schools, Senator Gillmor sponsored legislation creating a tax credit for the purchase of new machinery and equipment used for manufacturing in Ohio, which resulted in over 400 companies bringing $2 billion in new investment to the state in the first two years.
In 1997, Karen was appointed by Governor George Voinovich to the State Employment Relations Board where she was reappointed in 2003. Karen served as vice chairman of the board which adjudicates labor disputes between public employers and 400,000 public employees for 10 years.
Awards and Honors
- Ohio Outstanding Freshman Legislator Award from the United Conservatives of Ohio
- National Outstanding Freshman Legislator of the Year Award from the National Republican Legislators Association
- Watchdog of the Treasury Award
- Project Head Start Volunteer Award for Outstanding Service
- Public Service Award from the American Heart Association
- Ohio Chiropractic Association President’s Award
- Center for the Advancement and Study of Ethics Award from Capital University and Trinity Lutheran Seminary
- Friend of Medicine Award from the Ohio State Medical Association
- Legislative Achievement Award from the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Ohio Association for Gifted Children Civic Leadership Award
- U.S. Department of the Army’s Certification of Achievement
Public Service
Current Boards:
- Trustee of Heidelberg College
- Trustee of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center
- Trustee of the National First Ladies Library
Past Boards:
- Advisory Council to the Childhood League Center
- 10th Anniversary Committee for the National Race of the Cure
- Honorary Advisory Committee for the National Osteoporosis Foundation Public Policy Leadership Forum
- Board of the Republican Women’s Federal Forum
Advisory Board of the National Republican Congressional Committee- Board of the McMaster Leadership Institute for Scientific and Technical Industry
- Board of the Women’s Republican Club of Ohio
- Trustee of the U.S. Capitol Childcare Center
- Women’s caucus of the American Association for Higher Education
- Congressional Families Action for Cancer Awareness
- Congressional Families for a Drug-Free Youth
- Congressional Child Mental Health Interest Group
- Congressional Group for Human Rights
- OSU Association of Faculty and Professional Women
- OSU Medical Center Service Board
- Executive Board of the Ohio Personnel and Guidance Association
