Andrew Brenner
With school vaccine mandates banned, lawmaker wants mask requirements outlawed, too
Ohio schools will soon be barred from mandating that students be vaccinated against COVID-19. A Republican state lawmaker wants to also prohibit schools from mandating students and others wear face masks. Senate Bill 209, introduced by state Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell, is unlikely to impact school districts’ decisions for the fall, as lawmakers are on […]
Ohio politicians condemned for pandemic comparisons to Nazi Germany
To Ohio lawmaker Kris Jordan, the mask requirement and the roll out of optional COVID-19 vaccines are two steps toward an American genocide like that of the Holocaust during World War II. “It’s just a mask, wear it. It’s just a shot, take it,” reads a March 31 Facebook post from Rep. Jordan, a Republican […]
Bill would enhance Ohio vandalism penalties in response to 2020 damage
A Republican state senator is seeking to increase the penalties for arson, vandalism and other criminal acts as a response to damage caused to the Ohio Statehouse and nearby businesses last year. Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell, said the recent storming of the U.S. Capitol also spurred his desire to sponsor Senate Bill 34 last week. […]
Bill seeks to improve Holocaust understanding in Ohio
Most young Americans believe anti-Semitism exists in the United States today. Yet a striking number have little to no knowledge about the Holocaust. That is a problem Ohio legislators hope to resolve through a proposed commission to better educate people about the atrocities of genocides. Around 1-in-8 Millennials and members of Generation Z have never […]
Divided party saps DeWine response to spreading coronavirus
The spread of coronavirus continued across Ohio Thursday as Gov. Mike Dewine also continued his struggle to communicate the seriousness of the crisis over the din of influential voices in his own party. Another 1,150 cases were reported Thursday, continuing a steep, upward trend over the past three weeks. Five new counties were added to […]
State senators introduce bill to make Juneteenth a paid holiday in Ohio
Will Ohio become the second state in America to make Juneteeth a paid holiday? That’s the hope of two bipartisan state senators who introduced Senate Bill 334 on Monday to make that happen. They are state Sens. Hearcel Craig, D-Columbus, and Andrew Brenner, R-Powell. Craig and Powell are joined by 12 other state senators, including […]
Education officials: Schools need consistency in reopen
Officials and superintendents said local control is a good thing for Ohio school districts, but consistency and guidance from the state is necessary in a global pandemic. Opponents and interested parties testified in a recent meeting of the Senate Education Committee regarding Senate Bill 320, which seeks to give full authority for school reopenings to […]
Dr. Acton resignation follows months in the spotlight, crosshairs
Shortly before Ohio restaurants were set to reopen, Dr. Amy Acton was asked which restaurant she planned to dine at first. Acton had no answer to give. “I have no life right now,” she replied, half-jokingly, explaining that her around-the-clock responsibilities managing the state’s coronavirus response did not afford her much time to contemplate a […]
Ohio House passes bill to limit Dr. Acton’s power to issue health orders
A small group of Ohio legislators may be given the chance to put the state’s COVID-19 health orders to a vote. The Ohio House of Representatives has approved a bill that would give that group authority to approve or reject certain orders from Dr. Amy Acton, the director of the Ohio Department of Health. The […]
Some Republican legislators need to grow up, stop stoking anger and peddling misinformation
This past week we’ve seen Americans at a fever pitch over stay-at-home orders imposed to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic. We’ve seen men armed with semi-automatic rifles in militia cosplay storm the Michigan Statehouse, screaming in the faces of the police officers preventing them from entering the Michigan House of Representatives. We’ve seen unhinged […]
State rep. won’t wear mask because faces are the ‘likeness of God’
Having already claimed that face masks do not work, state Rep. Nino Vitale offered a new reason Monday why he wouldn’t wear a mask during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — because faces are the “likeness of God.” Vitale, a Republican from Urbana, has been among the most outspoken critics against the health orders issued by […]
As pandemic rages and uncertainty looms, Ohio legislature takes the backseat
For nearly two months now, Gov. Mike DeWine has pulled the levers of government power via executive orders, announced in real time at televised briefings every afternoon. Ohio’s chief executive and his health director have blocked mass gatherings of people, canceled in-person learning at K-12 schools, and shuttered “non-essential” businesses. The General Assembly, meanwhile, has […]