GOP State Rep. Jena Powell Drafts Bill to Stop Ohio's COVID Vaccination Lottery From Taking Place
Jena Powell, a Republican state representative in Ohio, is drafting legislation to stop Governor Mike DeWine from running a vaccine lottery program that seeks to give five lucky Ohioans $1 million for receiving the COVID-19 jab.
Earlier this month, DeWine, a Republican, announced the creation of the Vax-a-Million lottery, a free $5 million state lottery open only to residents who have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
Beginning May 26, the program is set to award $1 million each week to adult Ohio residents who have received at least one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. A separate program is set up for vaccinated teenagers under the age of 18, who will receive a full ride scholarship to any Ohio college or university.
Names for the drawing will be taken from the Ohio secretary of state's voter registration database, while a signup website has been created for those whose names do not appear in the database.
But just days before the first drawing is set to take place, Powell is seeking to put an end to what she calls a "frivolous use of taxpayer dollars."
"We don't need Governor DeWine giving us an award for getting a shot like when we were kids. Ohioans are smart/wise people who make decisions for themselves. The vaccine lottery is a frivolous use of taxpayer dollars," the GOP representative tweeted Saturday.
According to a report by the Ohio Capitol Journal, Powell will introduce legislation with an emergency clause that would allow the bill to immediately "prevent the COVID-19 vaccination lottery from taking place."
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Along with prohibiting the vaccine lottery, Powell seeks to redirect the funding used for the program toward either children's mental health initiatives or to small business relief grants.
The GOP representative is not the only critic of the Vax-a-Million lottery. Democratic Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes also criticized the program as a "grave misuse of money."
"Using millions of dollars in relief funds in a drawing is a grave misuse of money that could be going to respond to this ongoing crisis. Ohioans deserve better than this. I do hope people continue to get the vaccine and help our state reach herd immunity so our economy and way of life can thrive again," she said in a statement.
The $5 million in prize money will come from federal COVID-19 relief funds that the state has already received, DeWine said earlier this month.
"I know that some of you now are shaking your head and saying, 'That Mike DeWine, he's crazy. This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money,'" DeWine said in statement. "The real waste at this point in the pandemic, when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it—the real waste is a life that is lost now to COVID-19."
The program has already seemed to driving vaccine incentive. By Friday, the state's health department said the campaign has led to a nearly 30 percent spike in vaccinations ever since its rollout.
More than 1 million adults have entered the lucky draw and tens of thousands have signed for the youth scholarship opportunity, the department said.
"This dramatic increase in vaccinations indicates that the Vax-a-Million drawing has been impactful in creating momentum for vaccinations throughout Ohio," Stephanie McCloud, director of the Ohio Department of Health, said in a press release.
Other states, including West Virginia, Connecticut, Detroit and New York, have also implemented vaccine incentive programs, which offer free savings bonds, drink tickets (for use at participating establishments), prepaid debit cards, and free lottery tickets.
By Saturday, it was unclear when Powell will formally introduce the legislation seeking to end Ohio's lottery program. Since bills typically take weeks to months to process in the state, the legislation will likely not have an impact on the program, the Capitol Journal reported.
Newsweek contacted Powell for additional comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.