Ohio lawmaker tries a different approach to quash COVID-19 vaccine mandates
Laura A. Bischoff
After a sweeping anti-vaccine mandate bill hit a snag in the Ohio House, Springfield Republican Kyle Koehler is pushing a more tailored measure that would apply only to COVID-19 vaccines.
"I believe we need to move now and move quickly to protect the freedoms of individuals and private businesses, while telling government that they cannot trample on our rights," Koehler said in an email sent to his fellow state representatives on Thursday.
His bill would do the following:
- Block governments, public schools, state agencies and state universities from requiring someone to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be mandated to show proof of vaccination.
- Prohibit those entities from penalizing employees based on their COVID-19 immunization status.
- Sunset the measure after two years.
It wouldn't place restrictions on private businesses. Hospitals and business associations have been furiously lobbying against House Bill 248, which would block employers from mandating vaccines for their employees or requiring proof of vaccination from customers.
Most of Ohio's public universities now require vaccination for students and staff members. Cincinnati Public Schools last week became the first district in the state to require them for teachers and other school employees, with some exemptions.
A law passed earlier this year prohibited mandates for vaccines that hadn't yet received full Food and Drug Administration approval. Since then, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved, rendering the law largely moot.
Legislative leaders pumped the brakes on House Bi 248, which contains a wish-list for those who oppose medical mandates.
That bill would block public agencies, schools, child care providers and others from requiring or asking someone get vaccinated against COVID-19 or any other infectious disease. Schools and child care centers would be required to explicitly tell parents about available exemptions to childhood immunization laws, including a catch-all that would allow them to skip shots for any reason.
House Bill 248 would also repeal state law requiring college students to get immunized against hepatitis B and meningitis to live in on-campus housing.
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.