Leader Sykes issues statement following veto of SB 55

COLUMBUS— House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) issued a statement today following Governor Mike DeWine’s veto of Senate Bill (SB) 55 which would have reduced the penalty for violating a public health order during a pandemic to a minor misdemeanor and smaller fine.

The bill passed the Ohio House on May 6 by a vote of 72-23. All Democrats voted against the amendment to strip the Ohio Department of Health of power during a pandemic, calling it a “GOP-led attack on the state health director” and a “disgraceful abuse of power.”

“Vetoing SB 55 was the right thing to do. But Ohio needs a governor who will stand up to his own party when it matters always, not when it is only politically convenient to do so.

We need real leadership in this crisis. Not an endless GOP power struggle between the legislative and executive branches.”

A three-fifths majority of each chamber is necessary to override a governor’s veto in Ohio – that is 60 votes in the 99-member House.