Ohio House Bill Seeks to End Statewide Mask Mandate

A group of GOP legislators in the Ohio House has introduced a bill seeking to end the statewide mask mandate.

Rep. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) introduced House Bill 202 last week to end the mask mandate currently in place. The bill also bans the state from reissuing a mask requirement unless the General Assembly green-lights the plan.

So far 23 Republican legislators cosponsored the bill.

Powell introduced her bill on March 10, the same day legislators passed Senate Bill 22 allowing the legislature to veto public health orders they did not agree with.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has vowed to veto the state Senate bill, but state lawmakers said they intend to hold votes to overrule his veto, WBNS reported.

If the governor is overruled, the bill will not go into effect until later in the summer.

Legislators are maintaining their pressure against DeWine even after his administration has outlined details on how the state will wade through the pandemic’s final stages:

NEW: When Ohio gets down to 50 cases per 100,000 people for two weeks, all health orders will come off. Cases per 100,000 people for a two-week period is a standard measure we have used since early in the pandemic.

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 4, 2021

Powell believes that according to the current pandemic outlook, the mask mandate should be removed as soon as possible.

“Cases are decreasing dramatically, and vaccine distribution is increasing rapidly,” Powell said in a statement announcing HB 202. “This bill supports individual freedom and allows Ohioans to make the choice of whether or not they voluntarily want to wear a mask.”

HB 202 has yet to be assigned to a committee.

Earlier this month, Former Ohio State Treasurer and current Republican Senate Candidate Josh Mandel told Breitbart News, “I’m calling on Gov. DeWine to fully open Ohio. That means removing the statewide mask mandate, removing all restrictions on businesses, and require that all schools open for in-person instruction.”