Senator Capri S. Cafaro joined the General Assembly in 2007 and represents the 32nd Senate District which includes Ashtabula and Trumbull counties in Northeastern Ohio. Senator Cafaro served as Minority Leader from January 2009 until January 2012, becoming the longest serving Minority Leader since the 1990s. During her tenure as leader, Senate Democrats passed more bills than at any other time in the past decade.

Senator Cafaro graduated from Stanford University with a BA in American Studies and from Georgetown University with a MALS in International Studies. She has a long standing interest in public policy pertaining to health care and the needs of older adults. She has served on the Trumbull County Senior Services Advisory Council and was a State Policy Liaison for Ohio with the National Patient Advocate Foundation. She was also a State Advocate Representative for the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare and served as a councilor for the Medicare Rights Center.

One year after becoming a member of the Ohio General Assembly, Cafaro secured a leadership position as the Assistant Minority Whip for the Senate Democrats. In addition to her leadership roles, Senator Cafaro has previously served as the ranking member of the Senate Finance and Financial Institutions Committee and served on the Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee, Highways and Transportation Committee and the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee.

As a member of the legislature, Senator Cafaro has also served on many of Ohio’s special committees, councils and taskforces. Such appointments include: the Joint Committee on the Impact of the Changing Automobile Industry in Ohio, the Ohio Arts Council, the Ohio Rail Development Commission, the Ohio Transportation Task Force, The Ohio Agriculture to Chemicals, Polymers, and Advanced Material Task Force, the Ohio Advisory Council for the Aging, the Medicaid Administrative Study Council, the Unemployment Compensation Advisory Council, the Unified Long-Term Care Budget Workgroup and the Joint Legislative Committee on Health Care Oversight.

Senator Cafaro was selected for a national leadership role as a Vice Chair of the National Conference of State Legislature’s Transportation Committee and the Midwestern Regional Member of the Women’s Legislative Network.

Cafaro was presented with the 2007-08 Legislator of the Year Award by the Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses for her outstanding contributions to the practice of advanced nursing and advocacy of health care-related legislation. She was also honored as the 2008 Woman of the Year Award by the Liberty Historical Society. In 2008 she was named a Friend of Agriculture by the Ohio Farm Bureau and was awarded the honor of being one of the five MVP’s in her “40 under 40” Class, selected and hosted by the Mahoning Valley 20/30 Club.

In 2009, Senator Cafaro was recognized as Legislator of the Year by a variety of organizations, including the Ohio Speech and Hearing Governmental Affairs Coalition, the Ohio Farmer’s Union, AMVETS Department of Ohio and the Ohio Corn Growers Association, Wheat Growers Association, and Soybean Association for her leadership and support of Ohio’s bioproducts industry and Ohio agriculture. Her leadership on agricultural issues also led to a new purchasing program that will increase the use of bioproducts by state agencies and universities.

In September of 2010, Cafaro was recognized as a “Home Care and Hospice Hero” by the Ohio Council for Home Care and Hospice for her efforts to protect vital home care services for some of Ohio’s most vulnerable citizens. She was also a 2010 Power 100 Honoree in Inside Business magazine. Additionally, Senator Cafaro was re-elected by her colleagues to serve as Senate Minority Leader in the 129th General Assembly.
 

The Ohio Statehouse

Columbus, Ohio 43215

Phone: (614) 466-7182

SD32@senate.state.oh.us