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Ohio Senate Leader Says His Personal Experience With COVID Hasn't Changed His Professional Opinion

Ohio Senate President's Empty Chair
Ohio Senate President's Empty Chair

The incoming president of the Ohio Senate was absent on the first day the new General Assembly met. But new Senate President Matt Huffman has COVID-19 but adds his experience isn’t changing his views on the subject.

Last year, Ohio lawmakers passed several bills that reined in Gov. DeWine’s ability to restrict the spread of COVID-19 through health orders. Governor Mike DeWine vetoed the big bill but allowed some other restrictions to become law. Now that Senate President Matt Huffman (r-Lima) has COVID, does it affect his view of that legislation or the governor’s policies in general?

"I had an expectation at some point I would get COVID. As they say, herd immunity is not a strategy. It’s just something that happens," Huffman says.

Huffman says he thinks there should be a legislative panel that deals with health orders. Huffman says he's had a mild case of coronavirus but is feeling better now. He says he’ll be out through the rest of this week but plans to be able to lead Senators when they attend a retreat next Tuesday at Deer Creek.

Copyright 2021 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit 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.