There鈥檚 a new effort to get a vote on a controversial bill that would ban all mandatory vaccines in Ohio, as well as outlawing so-called 鈥渧accine passports鈥�.
The bill鈥檚 sponsor has launched a discharge petition to get it to a full House vote. Republican Rep. Jennifer Gross has always described it as a freedom bill, and she drafted the petition after the Biden administration鈥檚 COVID vaccine or testing mandate for businesses. She wrote in a statement: 鈥淚t is now time for the Ohio Legislature to take action on HB 248...I hope to see signatures and support from my fellow House Members.鈥�
Gross said in a text that she鈥檚 鈥渉eartsick鈥� that other lawmakers don鈥檛 see the bill as urgent. She said she didn't want to do a discharge petition, since that opens the bill up for amendments from any representative, not just those on the House Health Committee, where the bill is now. But she texted: "The bill is [not] perfect. So, now the entire caucus can help fix it."
House Speaker Bob Cupp had said last month he expected action on the bill when the House returned in mid-September, the bill isn鈥檛 scheduled for a hearing. The bill is in the House Health Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Scott Lipps (R-Franklin), and his office said it's up to Cupp.
Fifty representatives would need to sign the discharge petition to force the vote, but now only Gross and fellow Republican Nino Vitale have signed. Vitale has written that but has also said publicly that he did not have his children vaccinated.
banning public and private entities from mandating any vaccines from childhood shots on up or proof of vaccination status has 15 co-sponsors, and Gross said in a text 鈥渢hose who said they鈥檇 support it need to [ante] up.鈥�
