Longtime Ohio lawmaker hospitalized with undisclosed health issues

Longtime state legislator J. Kirk Schuring, R-Canton, is hospitalized with undisclosed health issues, according to Ohio Senate leaders.

Schuring, who is the second in command in the Senate, missed several voting sessions this year, including when lawmakers voted on the state budget bill.

"Many of you know Sen. Kirk Schuring has been battling complications from a recent setback in his health. Sen. Schuring and his family want you to know that they appreciate your prayers and well wishes," Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said in a written statement issued Friday. "Rest assured he is in touch with his office, and over his three decades of service, Kirk has built a reputation of being among the hardest working members in the entire Ohio General Assembly. We wish him well and his fellow senators are praying for his recovery and return to the floor of the Senate.”

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Schuring is the second longest serving state legislator with 31 years of tenure. While voters enacted eight-year term limits in 1994, Schuring and fellow Republican Scott Oelslager of North Canton traded seats, ping-ponging between the House and Senate chambers over the decades.

Schuring briefly served as acting speaker of the Ohio House in the spring of 2018 after Republican Cliff Rosenberger abruptly stepped down. His current role as president pro tempore gave Schuring the No. 2 leadership position in the Senate.

Schuring's term runs through 2026.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Sen. Kirk Schuring, R-Canton, hospitalized with health issues