Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp announces his coronavirus vaccine bill is back to drawing board

COLUMBUS, Ohio -The Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday delayed a vote on a bill supported by its Republican leaders that would allow businesses to mandate coronavirus vaccines, yet would also allow broad exemptions for employees to avoid getting shots.

After it faced opposition from business and medical organizations, Democrats and some Republicans, House Bill 435 was sent back to the Ohio House Rules and Reference Committee, where more work will be done, said Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp, a Lima Republican.

 “We’ve had a lot of very good, very productive conversations on House Bill 435,” Cupp said. “There are a few additional issues our members would like more time to explore. I think it’s important that we have a consensus within our caucus on how we move forward, so we’re going to take time to do that.”

 Under HB 435, as currently written, public and private employees, as well as public and private K-12 and college students could be subject to coronavirus vaccine mandates. However, they could be exempted for medical reasons, for demonstrating natural immunity to the coronavirus and for religious reasons and reasons of conscience. The religious exemption is broad, as it would only require a statement by the believer and not a letter from clergy.

Support for the bill, if it was ever widespread, appeared to collapse in the hours before the Ohio House session was to start.

 Around noon on Wednesday, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Vaccine Coalition, which is made up of businesses, health care organizations and children’s hospitals, sent out statements saying they did not support the bill.

 “House Bill 435 infringes upon the rights of Ohio’s employers,” said Steve Stivers, the chamber’s president and CEO. " One-size-fits-all government mandates limiting employer rights are not the right approach. It is imperative that we let our businesses manage their workplaces free from government interference.”

 The Ohio Vaccine Coalition - which includes the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s, the Greater Cleveland Partnership and similar organizations across the state - said in a statement it appreciated the work in the Ohio House to find a legislative solution to the debate over vaccine requirements by employers and universities in the state.

 “Unfortunately, the provisions of House Bill 435 fall short of what our state needs as we work toward pandemic recovery, and this bill does not address the concerns expressed by the medical, business and university communities about prior proposals of a similar nature,” the statement said. “Protection of an employer’s rights to make decisions in the best interest of their employees and those we serve cannot be over stated.”

 The House session was supposed to start at 1 p.m. Wednesday, yet began 90 minutes later - with members caucusing with their political parties about legislation scheduled for a vote, including HB 435.

Cupp declined to specify the issues the Republican members had about the bill, except to say they wanted more time.

 On Twitter, Rep. Jena Powell, a Darke County Republican, wrote a series of posts criticizing the bill. She said that workers and students shouldn’t be forced to take a vaccine, that Ohioans want personal freedom, and, “Ohioans are sick of RINO watered down bills,” referring to the term Republican-in-name-only.

 “Ohio leadership needs to stop cowering to the woke left,” she wrote.

 After the House session, Cupp was asked about Powell’s posts. He said he didn’t have a comment.

 Republicans make up a supermajority in the House. Democrats, however, also had concerns. They didn’t like the rushed nature of the bill. They noted that federal law already allows medical and religious exemptions to vaccines, and other exemptions weakened public health at a time when health care systems are stressed and workers are exhausted.

 The public hasn’t had any opportunity to testify on the bill, which was just introduced Tuesday afternoon in committee.

 The bill was House leadership’s answer to a variety of anti-vaccine bills that have emerged in the legislature, specifically HB 248, which would have prohibited mandates of all vaccines.

The Wednesday afternoon Rules and Reference Committee meeting- where the bill had been sent for further work- was cancelled. The committee meeting was scheduled to begin after the House session ended.

 And even if the bill passed soon, it likely wouldn’t go into effect until early next year since most bills don’t go into effect until 90 days after it is signed by the governor and filed with the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.

 Yet if passed, HB 435 itself would sunset June 30, 2023, meaning the bill would only remain in effect a relatively short amount of time.