Matt Lynch- Ohio State Representative, 76th District

 

Parade with Matt Lynch this Sunday!

May 20, 2013

Dear Friends,

It's time again for marching in the Memorial Day Parade in Chagrin Falls! You and the kids are invited to march this Sunday, May 26th. The Lynch Ambulance will be shined up and stocked with candy to throw, and Lynch T-Shirts will be handed out to all the marchers. Kids are welcome to ride in the back of the ambulance or to ride alongside on their decorated bikes!

The parade kicks off at 2pm Sunday so please plan on arriving at the Chagrin Falls High School by 1:30. Parking is always an issue, so plan on having to walk a few blocks from your car to the High School.

Please send a text or call my cell phone (440-821-2247), or check Facebook for details of our exact location at the High School on parade day. The parade is always fun, and being supported by friends like you sends a great message to the community. As always, thank you all so much for your support!

Matt Lynch
Ohio State Representative
76th District, Geauga & Portage Counties
440-821-2247

 

 

May 2013 Sign of the Times

 

Here's How I See It. . . Matt on the radio

Click on audio play buttons below to hear Matt's commentary.

The Boston Massacre- May, 2013

 

Brian Williams show- April 21, 2013

 

No Medicaid Expansion for Ohio- April 2013

 

Dreamers Want to Drive- March 2013

 

Women at War- February 2013

 

Fiscal Folly- January 2013

 

No Medicaid Expansion for Ohio

April 9, 2013

Dear Friends and Family,

You may have read about the proposal to expand Medicaid in Ohio. Expanding Medicaid is a critical part of the plan to implement Obamacare. Medicaid Expansion would place as many as 500,000 more Ohioans on the government healthcare system. . .a system that everyone agrees is unsustainable and results in some of the worst health outcomes.

Just two years ago Ohio overwhelmingly passed the Healthcare Freedom Amendment to prevent the federal government from imposing any form of healthcare. The citizens of Ohio have rightly decided that the freedom to make their own health decisions is more important than any so-called benefit from Washington. Still, some argue that the offer of billions of dollars in Federal subsidies is just too attractive to ignore, and we should take the money and all the government regulations that come with it.

Federal deficits run into trillions of dollars each year, the value of our dollar is deteriorating, and millions remain unemployed. Should the Ohio Legislature close its eyes to these problems and add to the financial crisis, and then justify our decision by claiming it's Washington's fault? How can we accept billions of dollars in Federal money knowing it will lock many of our most vulnerable citizens into a system of despair and dependency?

And what happens when the Federal Government is no longer willing to pay the subsidies that some are so eager to accept? Do we really believe that Ohio can just back out? Like the Hotel California that the Eagles sang about, once you check into the Obamacare system, there is no checking out. It's very clear. . . if Medicaid expands in Ohio, our Liberty contracts.

Matt Lynch
Ohio State Representative
76th District, Geauga & Portage Counties
440-821-2247

 

Illegal Immigration Hurts the Nation

March 9, 2013

Dear Friends and Family,

You may have heard of a proposal in Congress called the Dream Act. This law, if passed, would create legal status for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who came to this country as children. The Dream Act was rejected by Congress because it would lead to even more illegal immigration. But the fact that the Dream Act was never passed by Congress did not stop the President. He just ordered his Justice Department to implement it anyway and now these dreamers are demanding that Ohio issue them drivers licenses.

Just how can we expect to hold these dreaming drivers financially responsible for accidents since they could be deported at any time? And with a valid Ohio Drivers License, the doors to an Ohio job and public benefits is opened wide. With an economy still in trouble and unemployment at record highs, is it sensible to encourage more illegals to come to Ohio to take jobs? It is estimated that there are over 100,000 illegal immigrants already in Ohio, costing Ohio taxpayers nearly $800 Million Dollars each year in education, medical, and public assistance costs. It makes no sense to encourage more illegal workers when so many Ohioans are unemployed.

Ohio is a sovereign state. We decide who gets a drivers license; not the President. I'll soon be proposing a law in Columbus to make sure illegal immigrants cannot get a driver's license, so that their dream does not become Ohio's nightmare.

Matt Lynch
Ohio State Representative
76th District, Geauga & Portage Counties
440-821-2247

 

 

Matt Lynch in the News

Story originally published in The Hannah Report on February 25, 2013. Copyright 2013 Hannah News Service, Inc.

Rep. Matt Lynch (R-Chagrin Falls) is the first person to represent the people of his district through a general election in nearly three years. House District 76, formerly House District 98, was represented by former Rep. Matt Dolan (R-Novelty). However, he resigned in January 2010 to run for Cuyahoga County executive. That sparked several seat shuffling which started with the appointment of former Rep. Richard Hollington (R-Hunting Valley).

Then former Sen. Tim Grendell (R-Chesterland) won the seat but decided to stay in the Senate. Hollington was once again appointed to the seat followed by Geauga County Assistant Prosecutor Mary Brigid "Bridey" Matheney after Hollington was elected Hunting Valley mayor. Lynch ended up as the final appointment in April 2012 after winning the Republican primary.

The new 76th House District spans most of Geauga County, besides the northeast portion, and the northern region of Portage County.

Given the fact that Lynch is more of a "redshirt freshman" when it comes to his experience at the Statehouse, he told Hannah News that he is ready to hit the ground running, starting with legislation he already introduced in the House last year.

The first is a bill that would discourage employers from hiring undocumented immigrants. He said called the legislation less of an immigration bill and more of a jobs bill. Lynch explained that the state is spending about $800 million on "various expenses for illegal residents." He said that spanned from health care to education.

Lynch said that Americans are ready and willing to work in the same jobs that are currently filled by undocumented immigrants. He also said that employers are often taking advantage of those immigrants by paying them lower wages.

His proposal includes a two-part plan. The first part would be to check the citizenship status of anyone who comes into contact with law enforcement, such as during a traffic stop and an arrest. Lynch said this would be similar to what the state of Arizona implemented.

"The other side is to make certain employers are not allowed to hire illegals -- which frankly is going on," said Lynch, who suggested that this could mean creating a system to confirm that their employees can legally work in the U.S. "[If we can] make it uncomfortable for the employers to keep those employees then we create a situation where the illegals will go someplace else."

The representative said that this issue is important to him because of its implications on job creation and the costs he previously mentioned.

Lynch's second priority is legislation that would deal with the rights of property owners related to county authority. The representative said he wants to create a statute that protects landowners when the county wants to perform a project that would result in the taking of property, such as widening a road.

"It's really an issue having to do with the rights between the county and the right-of-way and the property owners' rights to have some say as to what happens in the right-of-way," Lynch explained. "When you mow the grass and put in the trees and do the landscaping and take care of [your property] -- you think it's yours. And when the county comes along after 20 years of home ownership and says 'by the way we're going to rip all that out cause that's really ours,’ that just doesn't go well. So we're trying to strike a balance."

Lynch said that his district had an incident where more than 100 century-old hemlock trees were knocked down in a neighborhood. He said the situation could have been avoided if some type of notice was required, adding that they are still sorting out the specifics.

The representative said besides those priorities, he is also taking a close look at Gov. John Kasich's budget, explaining that he is a fiscal conservative who has "significant concerns" with some of the proposals in HB59 (Amstutz).

"I am very concerned about the governor's decision to expand the Medicaid program and will be looking very closely at that and I'm also quite concerned about the idea of increasing significantly a new tax on the oil and gas industry, so those are both major concerns," Lynch told Hannah News.

Lynch urged that he supports the idea of reducing the income tax, but he has reservations with doing so in-part with a higher severance tax rate on big oil companies.

"I certainly support the idea that we reduce the income tax but -- to my mind -- the goal should be to reduce the overall tax burden on Ohio citizens -- not to reduce it in one place and increase it in another place and essentially focus on a particular industry in doing so," said Lynch.

The representative will have the ability to share his input on many issues related to the oil and gas industry while sitting on the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. He is also on the House Health and Aging and Judiciary committees.

As for his thoughts on creating a bipartisan environment in the Statehouse, Lynch said it is a wonderful goal to strive for but one must never sacrifice their principles just to reach bipartisanship. He said he would not want to compromise his main ideals; low taxes, smaller government, and enforcing the Ohio Constitution, in an effort to "get along."

"Part of the reason we have term limits is because the public expects that you don't become so much a part of the system that all you're doing is getting along," said Lynch. "I came here to protect the rights of my constituents and to promote their interests and I'm certainly not going to compromise on those beliefs."

In response to his leadership qualities, Lynch said that he sees himself as open minded but firm on his principles, adding that he is willing to listen to anyone and consider their position on issues.

From today’s Hannah Report
Quick Bio
Party: Republican
Occupation: Attorney; Lynch & Lynch Attorneys at Law
Education: B.A. history, John Carroll University; J.D. Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
Path to General Assembly: Appointed to 129th General Assembly replace Rep. Mary Matheney after winning 2012 primary election
Personal: Married, five children
Website: www.mattlynch.com
Twitter: @MattLynch4Ohio
Facebook: www.facebook.com/matt.lynch.969

 

Matt Lynch being sworn in to Ohio House of Representatives

(Video is approximately 2 minutes)

 

 

New Leadership To Do What’s Right

As an attorney and leader in Bainbridge Township, I first ran for office to stop the wasteful spending and tax hikes plaguing the Board of Trustees. I won and my first order of business was cutting my own pay. That’s the kind of leadership and fiscal restraint I will bring to Columbus.

Reforming Government

Ohio has made some big changes that have made us first in the Midwest for job creation, but there’s more to be done. To create new jobs, I know businesses need a break from government fees and never-ending-paperwork that wastes time, money and manpower. As your State Representative, I support government reforms that encourage job growth and take less money from small business owners.

Ohio Energy Jobs

Creating jobs and protecting the environment are not conflicting ideas. Natural gas wells in our area have the potential to create thousands of jobs. It’s the kick-start our economy needs. Even so, I believe it’s important to make sure our communities and local governments remain in charge without interference from Columbus politicians and lobbyists.

Liberty

I will always respect the values and wisdom of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence which have been the foundation of our prosperity for over 200 years!