ANDERSON — Members of the Indiana Public Health Association asked Gov. Eric Holcomb to veto Senate Bill 5 in a press conference held during their annual meeting Friday.
The bill would curtail local health departments’ ability to issue and enforce public health orders.
It’s in reaction to public health orders issued during the pandemic and has been passed by both the Senate and House; the Senate dissented to an amendment added by the House.
“Indiana Senate Bill 5 would be a dangerous experiment that Hoosiers would soon regret,” said Dr. Jeremy Adler, president of the Indiana State Association of County and City Health Officials and health officer for Tippecanoe County.
“Without a doubt, Senate Bill 5 will negatively affect the ability of local health departments to protect their communities,” he added. “If Senate Bill 5 were to become law, Hoosiers should expect dangerous consequences on several fronts.”
Adler highlighted problems he sees with the bill including elected officials potentially controlling major public health decisions; an entity appealing a health order could remain open until the appeal is heard, putting the public in danger; restrictions on local health departments from issuing orders more restrictive than ones issued by the governor without local legislative approval, limiting their ability to react to local conditions.
“It seems that the Legislature is going to pass Senate Bill 5 so our hope, our reason really for today’s meeting, is to reach out for the governor and ask that he veto it when, if it reaches his desk,” said Susan Jo Thomas, president of the Indiana Public Health Association.
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