Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill that will prevent public schools and universities from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for students and staff until they receive full approval from federal officials.
Language added to House Bill 244 will prevent schools and universities from requiring vaccines that haven't received full U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. All three COVID-19 vaccines were approved under emergency use authorization, a rigorous protocol that includes clinical trials.
More:Ohio lawmakers ban requiring COVID-19 vaccine at public schools, universities
The new law doesn't take effect for 90 days, and the vaccines might receive full FDA approval in that window, making the language moot.
"We are confident the three main COVID vaccines – the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – will receive full FDA approval," said DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney, adding that the full approval will help reduce vaccine hesitancy.
DeWine supported the underlying bill to help military families, Tierney said.
Ohio lawmakers passed the prohibition as schools were deciding how to tackle vaccines for the upcoming year. Cincinnati Public School is considering a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for staff and Cleveland State will require students living on campus to be vaccinated.
The bill doesn't apply to private universities or the hospitals connected to public universities. Several private universities and colleges, such as Kenyon College and Ohio Wesleyan University, will require students to be vaccinated. Some have exceptions for religious or medical reasons.
The language on vaccines was a last-minute addition to House Bill 244. The underlying bill would require schools to allow children of military families to start classes online, easing their transition to a new district. This is particularly important for families at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton.
But Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell, said the vaccine language was important guidance for school leaders as they make decisions about vaccine requirements this fall.
"Parents, in consultation with their personal doctors, have the right to make decisions about their children especially for vaccinations that are not fully approved by the FDA," Brenner. "This is about personal rights."
Top Senate Democrat Kenny Yuko said he was disappointed in DeWine's decision to sign House Bill 244 into law.
"Public schools and universities in Ohio should be able to create policies to keep their students and employees safe. Vaccines are safe and effective," Yuko said in a statement. "This is not the time to let our guard down.”
DeWine has vetoed several proposals from Ohio lawmakers to limit or restrict the Ohio Department of Health's ability to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, he removed a provision from the budget that would have eliminated fines for businesses that violated COVID-19 protocols.
More:Gov. Mike DeWine signs $74B state budget. What did he veto? What did he keep?
Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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