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It Might Be A Long Shot For Flu Vaccine Bill's Passage

Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger
Jo Ingles
Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger

A bill that would prohibit employers, including hospitals, from requiring workers to get a flu vaccine has passed out of an Ohio House committee. But there are signs that it won’t make it to the full House floor in its current form. 

The bill would ban employers from firing or punishing employees who refuse to get flu vaccines passed out of committee, despite objections from many statewide health care organizations. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce has also come out against the bill, which is sponsored by Republican Christina Hagan. Opponents say it could end up endangering patient safety. Those concerns might be resonating with Republican Speaker Cliff Rosenberger. He says the bill got moved a little quickly and that he thinks it needs more time and hearings. That likely means the legislation will be re-referred to a committee. And that could mean it’s a longer shot for the bill to be able to pass anytime soon.  

Copyright 2017 The Statehouse News Bureau

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.