COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof says he has the votes to override a threatened veto of a bill restricting the health department’s powers during a health emergency.
Obhof said Wednesday he will hold the vote if fellow Republican Gov. Mike DeWine makes good on his promise to veto the measure by week’s end.
The bill would allow the Legislature to adopt resolutions to rescind Health Department orders to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.
DeWine has called such bills reckless at a time when the state is struggling to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Both COVID-19 hospitalizations and case numbers continue to spike.
The state has reported 38,120 new confirmed and probable cases of the disease in the past week and an additional 1,925 patients have been admitted to hospitals. Currently, one out of four Ohioans in the hospital is there because of COVID-19.
Last week, the state said 27,750 Ohioans filed initial claims for unemployment compensation. The week before, 30,177 initial claims were filed a 21% jump from the previous week.