General Assembly Finally Passes COVID-19 Immunity Protections for Manufacturers

Ohio lawmakers returned to Columbus this week and finally worked out the remaining issues on House Bill 606 which had languished for three months.

The bill provides legal liability protections to employers and specified providers from lawsuits related to the COVID-19 pandemic. OMA worked to ensure that the bill covered manufacturers that produced PPE and other products in response to the pandemic.

A joint House and Senate conference committee convened on Tuesday to make a final round of revisions, most importantly extending the protections through September 2021. The bill will cover improper lawsuits going back to March when the state of emergency was first declared by Gov. DeWine. The full House approved the conference report Tuesday afternoon and the Senate followed suit on Wednesday. Gov. DeWine is expected to sign the bill soon.

A shout out to members who took the time to let their elected officials know the importance of this legislation. 9/2/2020