Gov. Mike DeWine is standing by his veto of a Republican-backed bill that bans trans kids from playing on girls鈥� sports team and limits the type of health care trans children under 18 can receive. And Dewine is taking action on the alternative plans he has proposed.
But looming large in the background is a threat by GOP lawmakers at the Statehouse to override DeWine鈥檚 veto.
DeWine has faced a backlash from many of his fellow GOP lawmakers in the Ohio General Assembly. DeWine said he doesn鈥檛 regret it the veto of House Bill 68.
鈥淚 made the decision. It was the right decision as far as I鈥檓 concerned,鈥� DeWine said.
DeWine said he and the General Assembly agree children under 18 should not be receiving gender-affirming surgical procedures, which Ohio鈥檚 children鈥檚 hospitals say aren鈥檛 happening. He signed an executive order immediately banning gender transition surgeries for minors - a ban children鈥檚 hospitals say they support.
DeWine has also announced he鈥檚 started the process of creating rules to collect data on trans health care.
鈥淲hen I really started looking at this, there are some holes that were clear to me, needed to be filled. One, we need to have data. We need to have information. We have it on virtually everything else in the medical field. We don鈥檛 have data on this. We don鈥檛 have data about the frequency and circumstances. So you know, it's time that we got that,鈥� DeWine said.
DeWine said he鈥檚 also concerned that trans people of all ages get the kind of mental health care that he believes is crucial. And he said that care needs to be in tandem with physical health care. He鈥檚 concerned about unscrupulous providers setting up shop in Ohio to provide care that isn鈥檛 as comprehensive as it should be. So, he鈥檚 also asked for rules to prevent that from happening.
鈥淚 am concerned that there could be fly-by-night providers, clinics, that might be dispensing medications to adults with no counseling and no basic standards to assure quality care,鈥� DeWine said.
DeWine said his executive order and administrative rules address trans health care in a more comprehensive way than the bill passed by lawmakers.
A possible veto override is looming
But many Republicans who sponsored and voted for the bill and the groups that supported the legislation are not happy with DeWine鈥檚 veto. The next House session is Jan. 10, and Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) noted in a statement last week that the bill passed both the House and Senate with veto-proof majorities. And he said his caucus 鈥渨ill take the appropriate next steps.鈥�
A spokesman for Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said depending on what the House does, the Senate plans to override the veto on Jan. 24, though it could be sooner.
One of the criticisms of DeWine鈥檚 approach to the issue through executive order and administrative rules is that future governors could possibly amend those. DeWine鈥檚 response to that criticism was simple.
鈥淟ook, if the legislature wants to take what I鈥檝e just done here by executive order and wants to put that in permanent law, that鈥檚 fine with me,鈥� DeWine said.
DeWine said he鈥檚 hoping the first item on the agenda for returning lawmakers will be to deal with making rules for the initiated statute passed by voters in November that allows for recreational marijuana in Ohio. He said Ohioans can possess and use it but they don鈥檛 have any legal place to buy it and there are not adequate rules to regulate it.