Rep. Miller opposes GOP bill that would slow pandemic response and make Ohioans less safe

Rep. Joe Miller (D-Amherst) and House Democratic lawmakers Wednesday voted in opposition to Senate Bill (SB) 22, controversial Republican legislation that would threaten the health and safety of Ohioans by curbing authority from the governor and health director during public health crises. 

“We have learned time and time again that fast-tracked legislation is never good legislation, especially when fueled by misinformation. The Legislative Service Commission has interpreted this language as unconstitutional. Instead of passing bills to provide relief to struggling Ohioans, we are wasting our time debating a bill that will likely be struck down by the courts. People and policy should always come before politics,” said Rep. Miller.

Proponents of SB 22 made a number of false, inaccurate and misleading claims about the virus and the state’s response. Similarly, YouTube pulled down a recording of testimony from a Feb. 17 House committee hearing on House Bill (HB) 90, legislation that mirrors many of the same provisions of SB 22, for violating the site’s terms of service for spreading COVID-19 misinformation.

Opponents of both SB 22 and HB 90 include top state public health officials, who said the effort to roll back health orders would slow the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Statehouse researchers also called into question the constitutionality of the effort to strip executive authority from the governor.

Democrats offered several amendments to SB 22 during Wednesday’s floor session, including: 

·         Requiring members of the General Assembly appointed to the Committee be a physician or have public health experience;

·         Raising the threshold of votes needed to overturn health orders;

·         Removing the severability clause in the bill.

Republicans rejected the amendments along party lines.