Following 3-week vaccine blitz, Gov. Mike DeWine plans to end coronavirus health orders: Capitol Letter

Gov. Mike DeWine

Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday all coronavirus-related public health orders will end June 2. (The Ohio Channel)

Rotunda Rumblings

Million-dollar idea: Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that all coronavirus public health orders will be lifted June 2. Laura Hancock reports that Ohio has been under a state of emergency since March 9, 2020, which has enabled the restrictions. However, in lifting the public health order, DeWine is nullifying his previous benchmark for reopening, which looked at cases per capita. In the next three weeks, DeWine is also offering some creative incentives in the form of drawings for college scholarships and $1 million awards to people who are at least partially inoculated.

Case rate drop: Ohio’s rate of new coronavirus cases is dropping so sharply that if the trend continues the state could be just a month away from reaching the goal DeWine set in early March as sufficient to lift all his health orders. Rich Exner projects the Ohio Department of Health on Thursday afternoon would report a rate of close to 122.9 cases per 100,000 over the last two weeks, a figure DeWine confirmed in his address. That’s down from 200 a month ago.

New cases: Another 1,449 coronavirus cases were reported Wednesday. The number of Ohioans who have completed the vaccine is just 4.25 million, or 36.41% of the state’s total population, Hancock reports.

Unemployment issues: State Auditor Keith Faber says that for months, state unemployment system officials misled auditor’s office representatives about how bad the problem of unemployment fraud was getting. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, Faber says his office is currently conducting two audits into the state’s unemployment system about “failures” that have led to hundreds of millions in payments to scammers, as well as major customer-service issues during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cancel culture: U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on Wednesday voted to remove Wyoming’s Liz Cheney from her post as chair of the House Republican Conference for repeatedly criticizing former President Donald Trump over his false claims of fraud during the 2020 presidential election and his role in encouraging a January attack on the U.S. Capitol, Sabrina Eaton reports. Ohio’s Jim Jordan backed the effort, telling Fox News the party can’t have its conference chair “reciting Democrat talking points.”

To the dogs: The House on Wednesday also voted to approve a bill authored by Upper Arlington Rep. Steve Stivers that would set up a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program to teach veterans service dog training as a form of therapy, Eaton reports. Stivers, an Ohio National Guard major general who leaves Congress at the end of the week to head the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, said he’s met numerous veterans struggling with “the invisible wounds of war” who “got their life back” with help from service dogs.

Food for thought: Owners of bars, restaurants and entertainment venues in the Cleveland area were cautiously optimistic about the reopening timeline, Marc Bona and Annie Nickoloff report. The food, beverage and entertainment industry has faced significant hardship over the past year bearing the brunt of restrictions and while some were eager to open up, others wanted to tread lightly as they continue to monitor the disease.

For your aches and pains: The Ohio House passed Wednesday, 89 to 3, House Bill 136, which expands certain chiropractic services in Ohio Medicaid. The measure, which is headed to the Senate, is billed as a way to stem opioid usage, as well as emergency room visits. While Medicaid generally covers spinal manipulations, the bill would also allow Medicaid to cover initial visits in which the diagnosis and treatment plan is outlined. The bill would prohibit requirements of prior authorization.

Bill of work: The budget provides the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation $715.1 million for the next two fiscal years, starting July 1. Funds will mostly come from employers who pay into the fund, with a small number of grants coming from the federal government. The bureau provides insurance to half the state’s workforce, with the other half covered by their self-insured employers. House Bill 75 goes to the Senate for consideration.

Bundle of energy: The Office of the Ohio Consumer’s Counsel said the legislature needs to pass Senate Bill 117, which will remove the portion of the scandal-ridden House Bill 6 that provides subsidies for two coal power plants. The subsidies keep the plants inefficient, the counsel’s Jeff Jacobson told lawmakers. But American Electric Power, which owns a stake in the plants, opposes the legislation and says the energy that comes from the plants is reliable and efficient, the Statehouse News Bureau’s Andy Chow reports.

The Cowardly Lyin’: People who dropped their ballots into boxes in their counties “were too afraid to walk into the board of elections and hand in their ballot,” said state Rep. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, during a chat with Cincinnati radio host Bill Cunningham, according to the Enquirer’s Scott Wartman. Seitz was trying to sell his controversial bill to overhaul Ohio’s voting laws.

The big lie: Jordan and Holmes County Rep. Bob Gibbs participated in a Wednesday House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on the riot where Jordan tried to portray Democrats as hypocrites for criticizing GOP challenges to 2020 presidential election results. Jordan decried Democrats for what he described as revisionist history for questioning the results of the 2016 election.

Township treasuries: Sen. Sherrod Brown told reporters Wednesday he expects the U.S. Treasury Department will soon announce whether townships will be eligible for federal American Rescue Plan money, along with the billions allocated for states, counties and cities. “We’ve asked them to make sure that there is there is some money set aside for townships and they were non-committal,” Brown said during a call with Ohio reporters, adding Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told him a decision on the township question is imminent.

America first: Bipartisan legislation by Brown and Sen. Rob Portman that would apply “Buy American” rules to all taxpayer-funded infrastructure and public works projects, passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday. The pair said it will be part of a larger legislative package that comes to the Senate floor.

Firing Fauci: Ohio’s Rep. Warren Davidson on Wednesday introduced a bill that would limit National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases directors to serving for 12 years. Its goal is firing Anthony Fauci, who’s had the job since 1984. Davidson believes Fauci mishandled the coronavirus pandemic and says his “FIRED (Fauci Incompetence Requires Early Dismissal)” bill would address the lack of accountability for unelected bureaucrats.

Fox News rerun: A Wednesday Fox News “exclusive” on Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s endorsement of Cleveland businessman Mike Gibbons for U.S. Senate doesn’t mention Paul endorsed Gibbons’ last Senate bid in 2018. This year’s endorsement statement is a bit different from the old one since it promises Gibbons will “fight the radical liberal policies being pushed by the Biden Administration,” which wasn’t in office when Gibbons last ran.

Familiar faces: Former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale is helping out former Rep. Jim Renacci as the latter decides whether to pursue a primary race against DeWine, NBC News’ Henry Gomez reports. Despite the clear Trump connection, a source close to the president said he had no intention of endorsing Renacci, who, as Trump’s hand-picked candidate, lost to Brown in the 2018 Senate contest.

Our Census are tingling: Ohio Solicitor General Benjamin Flowers asked a panel of three federal appellate judges to issue an order requiring the U.S. Census Bureau to provide state-level data for redistricting by mid-August, the Associated Press’ Mike Schneider reports. The state previously – and unsuccessfully – pressed the Census Bureau to fork over 2020 Census data early so they could meet their September constitutional deadlines.

Home is where you make it: The housing price surge over the past year is having some mixed effects on places like Youngstown, the Wall Street Journal’s Ben Eisen reports. The usually cheap housing stock is attracting some investors looking to buy low and flip for a profit, but also squeezing out some investors who can’t get financing as usual.

Shocking: A look at the embattled Lordstown Motors by the New York Times’ Neal Boudette and Matthew Goldstein doesn’t paint a rosy picture for the electric truck manufacturer. As the Times notes, Lordstown Motors doesn’t seem like it will reach its goal of rolling out trucks by September and, currently under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, its stock has tumbled from a high of $30 to $8.

Lobbying Lineup

Five organizations that are lobbying on House Bill 75, which creates a two-year budget for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. State lobbying forms don’t require lobbyists to indicate if they’re for or against a bill.

1. Catholic Conference of Ohio

2. Ohio Manufacturers’ Association

3. Sedgwick, also known as CareWorks

4. Sheakley-Uniservice Inc.

5. Ohio Department of Insurance

Birthdays

Ex-Gov. John Kasich

Ryan Stubenrauch, attorney, communications consultant and Republican strategist, as well as spokesman for Mike DeWine’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign

Straight From The Source

“I know that some of you are now shaking your head and say, ‘That Mike DeWine, he’s crazy.”

- Gov. Mike DeWine, during a statewide address Wednesday announcing that for five weeks starting May 26, vaccinated Ohio adults can enter a drawing to win one of five weekly drawings for $1 million.

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