September 22, 2026 Legislative Update
Public Policy Committee Legislative Update
September 18, 2026
Jan Lanier, JD, RN
The General Assembly remains on its 2026 campaign break, so things continue to be
relatively quiet on the legislative front. That doesn’t mean everything stops, however. It
simply means there is far less chaos and hasty decision-making. House and senate
leadership are making plans for the upcoming (and dreaded) lame duck session that is
expected to begin in mid-November. Senators and representatives are busily holding
meetings with interest groups and advocates developing strategies for how to get their pet
projects across the finish line before the 136th General Assembly adjourns permanently.
What to watch moving forward.
HB 561
Sponsored by Reps. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) and Monica Robb Blaisdell (R-Columbiana)
was introduced October 29, 2025, and referred to the House Health
Committee on November 12, 2025. The bill had three committee hearings in 2026 before
the current summer/fall recess began with opponents significantly outnumbering
proponents. Opponents included the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of
Pediatrics, the Ohio Association of School Nurses, and Groundworks along with more than
twenty others. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce testified as an interested party based on
its concerns about the “significant regulatory compliance obligations on small businesses
that operate childcare facilities” as proposed in the bill Proponents included Oakstone
Academy and Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom. HB 561 also known as C.H.O.I.C.E,
deals with the exemption in current law that excludes children from mandatory
immunization requirements for school attendance when their parents claim in writing to
have a medical, religious, or philosophical objection to immunizations. Proponents of the
bill believe schools are not always forthcoming about these exemptions which leads to
parents immunizing their children because they are unaware of other options open to
them.
The bill may become the vehicle to address other related concerns about immunization
mandates that are opposed by the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) Caucus
composed largely of Ohio House members. Caucus chairs include Reps. Jennifer Gross (RWest
Chester) and Tim Barhorst (R-Fort Loramie). Other members include republican
Reps. D.J. Swearingen (Huron) , Rodney Creech (Twin Township) , Ron Ferguson
2 (Wintersville), Diane Mullins (Butler County), Gary Click (Vickery), Beth Lear (Galena), Ty
Mathews (Findlay), Jonathan Newman (Troy), and Senator Michelle Reynolds (Columbus).
The group’s goal is to protect Ohioans from over-reaching public orders. It recently issued
endorsements for candidates running for the House in the upcoming election. Among the
endorsed candidates are incumbents Reps. Brian Lorenz (R-Powell), Ron Ferguson, and
Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill)
The caucus made news recently when it challenged Ohio Department of Health (ODH)
Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhob’s entry in the Director’s Journal made February 4, 2026. The
journal post addressed the extent of Ohio law (Section 3701.13 ORC) as it relates to the
authority to exclude unvaccinated children from school and school activities for 21-25 days
following a single reported case of measles or rubella, or three cases of mumps or chicken
pox. The journal entry reflects accepted practices recommended by the Center for Disease
Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics. It is not new nor is it a rule. According to
Ohio law (Section 3313.67 ORC) schools have the rulemaking authority to adopt and
enforce rules, including the use of exemption forms that include a statement alerting
parents that unprotected students may be excluded during outbreaks.
The caucus and the Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom (OAMF) became aware of the
entry when parents in Trumbull, Ashtabula, and Geauga counties received a letter that
highlighted the journal entry and its implication for unvaccinated children. OMAF said the
statutory language addressed only chickenpox. By including the other diseases Vanderhob
exceeded what the law addresses. House and Senate leadership were alerted to the
organization’s concerns as well as MAHA’s opposition to the ODH “order”. Families are
urging lawmakers to address this issue during the lame duck session this fall. (Source: Kano,
K. (9/16/2026) Department of Health journal entry on vaccination exposure draws fire. Gongwer Ohio.)
HB 945 Hospice Oversight Bill
The long-term care industry, specifically LeadingAge Ohio, is advocating for passage of HB
945. The bill targets curbing fraud, waste, and abuse in hospice care by year’s end. It is
sponsored by republican Reps. Andrea White (Kettering) and Bill Roemer (Richfield). It was
introduced on May 19, 2026, and referred to the health committee on May 20th. The bill had
its first hearing June 3rd for proponent testimony. In Rep. White’s testimony she noted that
in December 2025, Ohio was added to a watchlist of the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS). As a result, Ohio will face enhanced oversight, which means
increased scrutiny and monitoring of its hospice programs.
Ohio has experienced a significant increase in the number of hospice providers. The state
currently has 184 licensed hospice programs with one in four opening in the past five years.
The growth is focused on metropolitan areas rather than more rural locations. As the
number of eligible patients is not growing, the average hospice is serving fewer people. Hospice care is generally funded by Medicare making governments largely responsible for
paying the costs incurred.
The bill includes provisions to:
- Increase the license renewal frequency from every three years to a one-year renewal
cycle - Create a six-month moratorium on new hospice programs except in underserved
areas - Help ensure hospices have staffing, infrastructure, and operational capacity to
serve the geographical areas for which they are licensed - Monitoring key measures such as live discharge rates, length of stay, family
satisfaction, service delivery, and transition of care - Require ODH to work with hospice organizations to develop key quality metrics and
determine how many failed metrics would trigger a review by the department.
In the days before the legislative recess began in mid-June, there was some mention of
including HB 945 provisions in SB 315 , a bill that attempted to address Medicaid fraud in
Home and Community Based Waiver Services for the developmentally disability
population; however, it became infeasible to do that as that senate bill became
increasingly complex and controversial. HB 945’s sponsor, Rep. White, believes the house
health committee chair Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) is fully engaged and eager to get
HB 945 moving in November. Proponents have been working to make essential contacts
throughout the summer and fall , which will be helpful when sessions restart. According to
White, when it comes to this bill, speed should be capitalized on rather than avoided.
(Source: Kano, K. (8/24/26) Lobbying e>ort launched to pass hospice oversight bill. Gongwer + State AAairs.
Gongwer-Ohio.)
Voting in 2026—Take no chances. Don’t lose your vote by procrastinating!
The upcoming midterm election is rapidly approaching. You have until October 5th to
register to vote or update your current voter registration form with your county board of
elections. Early voting will begin October 6th and end at 5 p.m. on November 1st . Check the
dates and times when early voting will be available through the Secretary of State website
(ohiosos.gov). If you plan to vote by mail, you can request an absentee ballot using the form
available on that same site. Don’t put ob requesting and completing the ballot. The U.S.
mail is unreliable, and ballots MUST be RECEIVED by your county board of elections by
7:30 p.m. on Election Day, November 3rd. Ballots also may be deposited but ONLY in the
secure drop box located at your county board site. Only in special circumstances can
someone other than a family member drop your ballot ob for you. Check with your county
board of elections to make sure you know the location of your voting place.
