Ohio Republicans File Bill To End Gov. DeWine's COVID-19 State Of Emergency

Having enough of Gov. Mike DeWine’s COVID-19 state of emergency, Republican lawmakers filed a bill to overturn it.

State Reps. Diane Grendell and Reggie Stoltzfus filed the “Restore Ohio Now” bill Tuesday (September 22), which has since garnered more than a dozen co-sponsors, 19 News noted.

“Many Ohioans have worked diligently, in good-faith with the governor to flatten the curve of COVID-19 for months, and we accomplished this goal awhile back,” Grendell said. “Initially, there was much cause for concern regarding COVID-19. Gov. DeWine responded appropriately to an unknown threat facing Ohioans. The time has come to responsibly transition back to our lives before the pandemic, and this bill is a first step in that direction.”

Stoltzfus agreed that the emergency order has remained in effect “for too long,” accusing the governor of “trampling” on rights of citizens rather than protecting them.

DeWine declared a state of emergency on March 9.

“Passing a law saying it’s not an emergency is not going to make it not an emergency,” said DeWine, who is warning Ohioans of potential COVID-19 case spikes as the weather gets colder.

The Ohio Department of Health has tracked more than 146,700 total cases of the novel coronavirus, and more than 4,600 deaths, the latest data show.

Photo: Getty Images


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