Thomas E. Niehaus
Education
- Xavier University, MBA, 1986
- The Ohio State University, B.A., 1973
Former Ohio Senate President Thomas E. Niehaus (R) is a principal with Vorys Advisors LLC, a wholly owned affiliate of the law firm, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP. In this role, he provides business and strategic counsel to the law firm’s clients and other businesses and organizations.
Tom served as a state senator from 2005 to 2012 and was unanimously elected to serve as president of the Ohio Senate from 2011 to 2012. He left office on December 31, 2012 due to term limits. His accomplishments as senate president include erasing an $8 billion budget deficit without raising taxes; personally negotiating and ultimately securing passage of Ohio’s landmark energy bill (SB 315); reducing Ohio’s personal income tax; and introducing and securing unanimous bi-partisan support for five pension reform bills with the senate minority leader as the lead cosponsor.
Tom represented the 14th Senate District, including Adams, Brown, Clermont, Scioto and a portion of Lawrence County. Before being elected to the Ohio Senate, he served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2001 to 2004. A fiscal conservative, Tom was named a “Watchdog of the Treasury” four times. He also earned praise from 100 Capitol Square Insiders as the “best listener” and ranked as one of the top ten “most effective” state legislators.
Tom's legislative career began after more than 25 years in the private sector. He was a respected newsman who spent 15 years working at Community Press, a network of community newspapers in suburban Cincinnati. Tom worked his way up from reporter to publisher of 13 of the company’s 27 weekly newspapers. Prior to his role with the newspapers, he worked for Harte-Hanks, Inc., a media and marketing company for 10 years.
Tom earned his MBA from Xavier University and his B.A. from The Ohio State University.
Tom and his wife Emily live in New Richmond, Ohio. They have three children and six grandchildren.
Vorys Advisors is not involved in the provision of legal services.
Professional and Community Activities
- Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, Member, 2013
- Clermont Philharmonic Orchestra, Past Chairman and Co-founder
- Clermont County Safe Communities, Past Chairman
- Farm Bureau member
- Anderson Area Chamber Commerce,Former Board Member
- Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, Former Board Member
- Clermont 20/20, Past Member of Executive Committee
- Clermont Clean & Green anti-litter campaign, First Chairman
- Clermont County Excellence in Education Committee, Founder and Past Chairman
- Clermont Chamber of Commerce, Former Board Member
- Clermont Chamber Economic Development Committee, Former Board Member
- LEAD Clermont, Graduate
- New Richmond River Days, Committee Member and Past Co-Chairman
- Renaissance New Richmond, Member
- Clermont County Heritage Fall Fest, Past Co-Chairman
- Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce, Past President
- Clermont County Republican Central Committee
Honors & Awards
- Watchdog of the Treasury Award, United Conservatives of Ohio, 125th-129th General Assemblies
- Ohio Farm Bureau – Friend of Agriculture Award, 2008
- YMCA Policy Innovation Award – for innovative work toward building strong and healthy kids, families and communities in Ohio, 2008
- Ohio Covering Kids & Families leadership award for advocating for the health of Ohio’s children, 2008
- Susan G. Komen Closing the Gap Award for supporting breast cancer research and funding, 2008
- Ohio Society of Professional Engineers Legislator of the Year Award, 2008
- A Voice for Ohio’s Children Award, 2007
- Award of Merit Ohio Media Award - Ohio Public Images, 2007
- Ohio Environmental Council - Public Service Award, 2007
- Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Ohio - Public Images Award, 2007
- AMVETS Legislator of the Year Award, 2007
- Nature Conservancy - Public Service Award, 2006
- Ohio Association of Community Health Centers - Special Recognition Award, 2006
- Public Children Services Association of Ohio - Legislator of the Year, 2006
- Ohio Onsite Wastewater Association Distinguished Service Award, 2005
- Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities Award, 2005
- Association of Ohio Health Commissioners - Public Health Guardian Award, 2004
News
- 2/6/2017On January 31, Vorys Advisors hosted a forum titled “The Future of Ohio’s Energy.”
- 2/1/2017The inaugural Vorys and Vorys Advisors Energy Summit was highlighted in two news stories.
- 3/10/2014Thomas Niehaus, a principal with Vorys Advisors, was part of the 12-member class of 2014 Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA) Hall of Fame inductees. The OOGA Hall of Fame was created in 1987 to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of Ohio's oil and gas industry.
- 3/14/2013Vorys announced that former Ohio Senate President Thomas E. Niehaus (R) will join Vorys Advisors LLC, a wholly owned affiliate of the firm that provides business and strategic counsel to the law firm’s clients and other businesses and organizations.
Events
- 7/25/2013Maureen Corcoran and Daphne Saneholtz of Vorys Health Care Advisors; Tom Niehaus of Vorys Advisors; and Karen Cincione of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP presented an overview of the health care/Medicaid-related highlights of the 2014-2015 Ohio operating budget in the webinar, 2014-2015 Ohio Budget Wrap-Up, on July 25, 2013.
Insights
- 11/9/2016This alert details results of the 2016 general election.
- 12/18/2015Members of the Ohio House and Senate concluded their formal work schedule for 2015 last week with a flurry of activity aimed at finalizing pending legislative issues before heading back to their respective districts for the holidays. They are expected to return to Columbus January 20th for a very limited schedule prior to the March 15th Primary Election.
- 6/23/2015As the deadline for passage of Ohio’s budget bill looms, a House-Senate Conference Committee worked over the weekend and is expected to meet to report a compromise version of House Bill 64, the state’s two-year main operating budget bill, by mid-week.
- 1/15/2015Speaker of the House Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) and House Minority Leader Rep. Fred Strahorn (D-Dayton) announced House committee leadership positions this week for the new two-year session.
- 12/23/2014Members of the 130th Ohio General Assembly officially finished their business and headed home after the conclusion of a lengthy Ohio House floor session December 17. The hectic final days were notable both for the legislation that passed as well as for some high profile bills that did not pass.
- 11/5/2014This alert details results of the 2014 general election.
- 3/25/2014The state’s two-year Capital Appropriations measure, House Bill 497, was introduced in the Ohio House on March 18. This year’s Capital Bill allocates $2.39 billion, largely bond-backed funding for brick-and-mortar construction and renovation projects for state agencies, colleges, universities and school districts. Also, for the first time in six years, the Capital Bill goes beyond funding construction and renovation needs for state-owned properties, providing approximately $160 million in funding for additional “community projects” identified as priorities across various regions of the state.
- 2/25/2014Ohio Statehouse Update: Governor Kasich Announces New Initiatives at Ohio State of the State AddressGovernor John R. Kasich announced new policy initiatives relating to education, workforce development and tax reform at his Monday night State of the State address in Medina. His proposals will be presented to the legislature as part of the Mid-Biennial Budget Review (MBR). The timetable for introduction of the MBR remains uncertain.
- 9/27/2013Just like the students who head back to school in August and the birds that start their journey south for the winter, legislators began their migration to Columbus in September. And your U. S. senators and congressmen are back at work in Washington.
- 7/1/2013On Sunday evening, Governor John Kasich signed House Bill 59, the state's two-year, $62 billion budget into law, just in time for the beginning of the new state fiscal year on July 1, 2013.
- 6/26/2013Last night on a 4-2 party line vote the Conference Committee on House Bill 59, led by the chairmen of the House and Senate Finance Committees, Rep. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) and Sen. Scott Oelslager (R-Canton), reported a compromise version of the state’s biennial budget bill that will now head to the House and Senate floor for a final vote to accept the changes.
- 5/29/2013Yesterday afternoon the Senate Finance Committee unveiled a substitute version of House Bill 59, the state biennial budget bill. The substitute legislation incorporates many changes, significant among which is the replacement of an across-the-board 7% income tax cut proposed in the House-passed version of the bill with a tax cut package specifically targeted at helping small businesses in Ohio.
- 4/10/2013The Ohio House Finance and Appropriations Committee accepted a substitute version of House Bill 59, the state’s biennial budget bill, at a hearing yesterday afternoon. Among numerous significant changes in the bill, the substitute legislation removes Governor Kasich’s proposed tax reforms and replaces them with an across the board 7% income tax reduction, and removes the proposed expansion of Medicaid that was projected to leverage $2.4 billion in federal funds to provide coverage for uninsured Ohioans over the next two years.