HB 442 was introduced March 24, 2010, and heard in Committee May 18th, 2010! The first hearing heard from proponents, and the next week the Committee heard from opponents. The session closed without any vote. A new session began January 1st, 2011. Ohio Sunshine Health Freedom Coalition is taking the lead in Ohio and is a strong freedom organization with a mission to establish true healthfreedom in Ohio by passing “THE REAL HEALTH FREEDOM BILL” without a mandatory registration requirement. Ohio freedom advocates have persistently prepared for the moment, when in the 2009 /2010 session they moved forward with a safe harbor exemption bill to protect access to all unlicensed practitioners in Ohio. The group worked hard reviewing language and garnering legislative support including hiring a lobbyist in order that their bill will be successful in passage.

The Ohio Sunshine Health Freedom Coalition opposed HR148, a bill introduced in 2007 and backed by another organization, Ohio Health Freedom Coalition, because it was a registration bill. In the spring of 2008, HB580 was introduced and sponsored by Rep. John Adams. It was assigned to the Health committee, chaired by the sponsor of HR148. At this point, an Ohio Lobbyist, Zach Holzapfel was retained by Sunshine Health Freedom Foundation. A meeting was held at the NSP Convention to update Ohio managers and distributors in August. Susan Gingerich explained the history and enrolled attendees in the need to financially support the new lobbying group.

Since the fall of 2006, Diane Miller has been involved in three draftings of our bills. We have met weekly as a team for 1 – 2 hours each meeting, with board member Kirk Bashaw and often Diane Miller and Clinton Miller. Susan lobbied as needed on her own time, often bringing other members of the team to the state house. We thank the National Health Freedom Action leader Diane Miller, for her language expertise, her commitment to our needs for training and help in strategizing, and Sunshine Health Freedom Foundation for their unwavering support of time and money when needed. This is a large task, requiring major resources, that will leave a priceless legacy for future Ohioans, and set a precedent for other states.