Cleveland Clinic among Ohio hospitals to back governor’s veto of bill limiting authority on health orders

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Ohio governor vetoed proposed legislation on Tuesday that he said would have limited his ability to issue future health orders.

Gov. Mike DeWine said in a message explaining his reasoning that he vetoed Senate Bill 22 because it would jeopardize the safety of each Ohioan.

“SB 22 handcuffs Ohio’s ability to confront crises. The emergence of a yet unknown, epidemic illnesses bursting on the scene -- just as COVID-19 did -- remains a very real threat, as does the risk of state and non-state-sponsored terrorism,” Gov. DeWine wrote.

Senate Bill 22, which Gov. DeWine publicly expressed concerned over the possibility of Republican lawmakers overturning his veto, would have allowed Ohio’s legislators to weigh in on states of emergency and revise public health orders.

Dozens of Ohio hospital systems, including the Cleveland Clinic, and local-level health departments expressed support for Gov. DeWine’s veto of Senate Bill 22.

Read more letters from Ohio’s leading health experts to Gov. DeWine here.