Robert Sprague

Robert Cole Sprague (born April 18, 1973) is the 49th and current Ohio Treasurer of State. Prior to his election as treasurer, he represented the 83rd district in the Ohio House of Representatives, and served as city auditor and treasurer in his hometown of Findlay. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Robert Sprague
49th Treasurer of Ohio
Incumbent
Assumed office January 14, 2019
Governor	Mike DeWine
Preceded by	Josh Mandel
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 83rd district
In office February 1, 2011 – December 31, 2018
Preceded by	Cliff Hite
Succeeded by	Jon Cross
Personal details
Born	Robert Cole Sprague April 18, 1973 Findlay, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Amanda
Education	Duke University (BSE) University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (MBA)

Personal life and early career

Sprague was raised in Findlay, Ohio and graduated from Findlay High School.

Sprague then went on to Duke University and graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an MBA.[1]

After graduation, he worked at Ernst & Young in Atlanta, Georgia as a project lead before starting his own consulting firm, advising businesses from London to Singapore.

He moved back to Findlay, where he still resides with his wife Amanda and their five children. After leaving the private sector, he served as treasurer and auditor for the city, helping to improve its credit rating and lower debt service costs. He also started issuing an annual financial report to help taxpayers understand the city's finances.

Ohio House of Representatives

In 2011, then-Representative Cliff Hite was appointed to the Ohio Senate, creating a vacancy for the 83rd House District. Sprague was appointed to fill that seat, which he was re-elected to in 2012, 2014, and 2016.

During his time in the legislature, his was a leading voice on fiscal matters as a member of both the House Finance and Financial Institutions Committees. As a member of the General Assembly, he led efforts to combat the addiction crisis by working with law enforcement, community leaders, and doctors on preventing prescription drug abuse, reducing overdose deaths, and improving treatment systems.

Addressing drug addiction

As a freshman member of the General Assembly, Representative Sprague sat on the House Criminal Justice Committee. Feeling there were improvements that needed to be made in the state's criminal justice system, particularly regarding drug offenses, he remarked, “Drug offenders are cycling through the courts, the jails, the prison system, and the mental health system. [And] the state still has not figured out a way to . . . help people get out of a continuing spiral.” [2]

At the time, Sprague was recognized for a sincere commitment to addressing the addiction crisis.[3][4]

During the 130th General Assembly, Representative Sprague chaired a special committee that traveled the state gathering information on the opioid addiction crisis.[5]

Through legislation he sponsored and supported, he was deeply involved in addressing many addiction related issues, including:

• Adding modules about prescription opioids and heroin addiction to Ohio's health curricula (H.B. 367);[6]
• Increasing penalties for illegally providing controlled substances to pregnant women (HB 394);[7]
• Shutting down pill mills through revised pain management, prescribing, and dispensing regulations (H.B. 93);[8]
• Increasing access to the life-saving overdose reversing medication, naloxone (Narcan) (H.B. 4);[9]
• Creating Good Samaritan provisions for overdose situations, encouraging individuals to call for help (H.B. 110);[10]
• Providing the framework and funding to increase prevention efforts and ensure a full continuum of treatment services would be available to every Ohioan (H.B. 483) ;and[11]
• Providing the framework and funding to establish and increase the use of specialty drug dockets, which give courts flexibility for drug offenders, allowing them to place people with drug addictions into treatment and rehabilitation (H.B. 59).[12]

Developmental Disabilities

In the 131st General Assembly, Representative Sprague was chairman of the House Finance Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. That biennium's operating budget, H.B. 64, addressed many DD-related issues.[13]

As chairman, he had a significant role in guiding these provisions through the legislative process, such as providing more opportunities for individuals with disabilities to live and work in their community, while insuring institutional opportunities remained an option for individuals desiring that setting or requiring a higher level of care.

He also worked to include certain DD-related changes in H.B. 483.[14] Provisions included:

• Reforming the levy process for county boards of developmental disabilities;
• Designating October as Disability History and Awareness Month;
• Authorizing a personal income tax deduction for STABLE Account contributions;
• Authorizing residents of other states to open accounts under Ohio's STABLE program; and
• Authorizing the Treasurer of state to issue interest payments to beneficiaries.

Representative Sprague co-sponsored H.B. 158, legislation that removed references to “mental retardation” from the Ohio Revised Code.[15]

Other

In March 2012, the Ohio House passed legislation sponsored by Representative Sprague that would increase the maximum amount that the Ohio Treasurer could invest in agricultural linked deposits from $125 million to $165 million. It also increased the maximum amount that could be loaned to farmers and agri-businesses from $100,000 to $150,000 per application. Governor John Kasich signed the bill on June 26, 2012.[16]

Legislative Awards

While serving in the General Assembly, Sprague received multiple awards including the:

• Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities (OACBHA) Award for Legislative Excellence (2013);[17]
• Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities (OACB) Legislator of the Year (2014);[18]
• Public Children Services Association of Ohio (PCSAO) Outstanding Legislator of the Year (2015);[19]
• Center for Community Solutions (CCS) Award for Public Service (2016);[20]
• Ohio AMVETS Legislator of the Year (2017); and[21]
• Ohio American Legion Recognition Award (2018).[22]

Ohio Treasurer

On March 7, 2017, Sprague announced his intention to run for the office of Ohio Treasurer.

During his run for office, Sprague received endorsements from the editorial boards of the Columbus Dispatch, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Akron Beacon Journal, and several other Ohio publications.[23][24][25]

On November 6, 2018, Sprague was elected as Ohio's 49th Treasurer of State, defeating opponent Rob Richardson (D), 53% to 47%.[26] He took office on January 11, 2019.[27]

References

1. "Office of the Ohio Treasurer". www.tos.ohio.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
2. "Hannah News Story". www.hannah.com/. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
3. "Editorial: For state treasurer: Robert Sprague offers better experience". www.dispatch.com. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
4. "Robert Sprague for Ohio treasurer: endorsement editorial". www.cleveland.com/. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
5. "Treasurer's race pits state lawmaker against former county auditor". www.toledoblade.com. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
6. "130th General Assembly, Substitute House Bill Number 367" (PDF).
7. "Laws, Acts, and Legislation". archives.legislature.state.oh.us/. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
8. "Laws, Acts, and Legislation". archives.legislature.state.oh.us/. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
9. "The Ohio Legislature HB4". archives.legislature.state.oh.us/. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
10. "Ohio Legislative Service Commission Sub. H.B. 110".
11. "Laws, Acts, and Legislation". archives.legislature.state.oh.us/. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
12. "Ohio Legislative Service Commission Am. Sub. H.B. 59" (PDF).
13. "The Ohio Legislature HB64". Retrieved 2020-04-22.
14. "The Ohio Legislature HB483". Retrieved 2020-04-22.
15. "The Ohio Legislature HB158". Retrieved 2020-04-22.
16. "Laws, Acts, and Legislation". archives.legislature.state.oh.us/. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
17. "Annual Association Awards". www.oacbha.org/. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
18. "Legislator of the Year Award". www.oacbdd.org. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
19. "PCSAO Award". www.pcsao.org/. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
20. "Community Solutions Award for Public Service in Honor of John A. Begala". www.communitysolutions.com. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
21. "AMVETS 2017 Legislator of the Year". www.facebook.com/. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
22. "Ohio Legion News, Vol. 84, No. 2" (PDF).
23. "Editorial: For state treasurer: Robert Sprague offers better experience". www.dispatch.com/. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
24. "Robert Sprague for Ohio treasurer: endorsement editorial". www.cleveland.com. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
25. "Beacon Journal/Ohio.com editorial board: Robert Sprague for state treasurer". www.beaconjournal.com. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
26. "2018 OFFICIAL ELECTIONS RESULTS". www.sos.state.oh.us. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
27. "State's Treasurer-Elect Announces Swearing-In Ceremony". www.usnews.com. Retrieved 2020-04-22.