By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor in chief. Coleman trained for 17 years as a reporter with the Call and Post Newspaper and is an investigative and political reporter with a background in legal and scientific reporting. She is also a former 15-year public school biology teacher.

COLUMBUS, Ohio- Following prior approval by the Ohio Senate, the Ohio House on Thursday approved a bill that would block Gov Mike DeWine and state health officials from issuing curfew, quarantine and stay-at home orders in the future for Ohioans who have not been exposed to or diagnosed with the coronavirus, a measure the GOP governor has promised to veto.

“This would be devastating," DeWine said. "This bill would make Ohio slow to respond to a crisis."

Senate Bill 311 also would enable lawmakers to rescind certain Ohio Department of Health orders or rules aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19, but not the governor's recent reissuing of the state's mask-wearing mandate and his curfew order that took effect today that imposes a curfew on residents from 10 pm-5 am for at least the next 21 days.

The Republican-sponsored legislation, which passed the House 58-30 and needs the governor's signature to become law, would provide checks and balances, lawmakers say, from orders or rules during the pandemic that might be unconstitutional or statutorily flawed and that trample on people's civil liberties and their livelihoods.

Both the House and the Senate are controlled by Republicans.

The latest bill follows an unrelated bill passed by the House on Wednesday that would permit businesses to stay open and hold regular business hours during the pandemic if business owners and operators follow safety protocols, legislation that DeWine has also promised to veto.

If the controversial legislation designed to ease problems for business owners struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic escapes the governor's expected veto and is subsequently signed into law it would provide a reprieve as lawsuits seeking relief through the courts have virtually been ineffective.

An effort by House Democrats for a rule change requiring lawmakers to wear masks at the Statehouse was blocked by Republican lawmakers this week.