Jennifer Gross (politician)

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Jennifer Gross
Gross at the 2022 Hazlitt Summit hosted by Young Americans for Liberty Foundation
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byLisa Sobecki
Constituency45th district
In office
January 4, 2021 – December 31, 2022
Preceded byGeorge Lang
Succeeded byGayle Manning
Constituency52nd district
Personal details
Political party
Lieutenant Colonel
Battles/warsGulf War

Jennifer Gross is an American politician and former nurse serving as a member of the

anti-vaccine legislation.[3] Her voting record[4] has shown a general tendency towards big government.[5][6][7][8]

Career

Gross served as a

monoclonal antibodies.[10]

Ohio House of Representatives

Campaign

Running for the

anti-abortion conservatives and supporters of Donald Trump.[9] In the November 2020 general election, Gross defeated Democrat Chuck Horn with 63% of the vote.[2] As a representative, she said she supports the three Christian "B's," or "businesses, babies, and bullets."[10]

Tenure

In January 2021, Gross said that she opposes the nuclear bailout in House Bill 6 for having "too much baggage."[10]

In February 2021, she held a political event at Holtman's Donuts at West Chester. Ultimately, when attendees violated state COVID-19 protocols, police were called by the restaurant to end the event. Gross criticized the police response, although she did note she and some of the 20 attendees had been walking in the restaurant without masks in violation of state protocols, and that they had not warned the venue ahead of time about the event.[12]

Anti-vaccination legislation

In 2021, during the

meningococcal meningitis vaccine.[11] The measure (House Bill 248) was co-sponsored by 16 House Republicans.[14] Gross described the bill as "a freedom bill" and "not a scientific bill"[14] and framed it as a way to stop "discrimination."[15]

When introducing the legislation in May 2021, Gross attracted controversy when she described businesses requiring vaccination as "eerily similar" to the

Ohio Capital Journal about how the vaccine requirements and the Holocaust were similar, Gross declined to comment.[13]

Gross's bill was strongly opposed by healthcare providers, hospitals, and others, who cited the risks of the bill to public health and to children.[11][14] The bill was also criticized by business leaders such as the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Manufacturers Association, and others who cited the risk of low vaccination rates to the state's economy.[14][16] Gross's legislation was also opposed by Democrats; for example, Representative Beth Liston said that the legislation was "a dangerous bill that will lead to death" and, if enacted, would lead to "worsening measles outbreaks, meningitis in the dorms, and children once again suffering from polio."[17]

In June 2021, the Ohio House Health Committee lacked the votes to advance Gross' bill. Gross discussed the measure with Speaker Bob Cupp and said she planned to introduce amendments.[15] The bill was again debated in August 2021.[3]

In September 2021, text messages between Gross and Representative Scott Lipps, the chairman of the House Health Committee, were obtained by the Cincinnati Enquirer through a public records request. The messages show the pair's behind-the-scenes efforts to advance the bill.[18] In the messages, Gross and Lipps closely coordinate,[18][19] but at times Lipps appeared frustrated, accusing Gross of failing to control rumors circulating among anti-vaccination activists and of coordinating with Candice Keller, a far-right Republican who has promoted anti-vaccine disinformation and threatened to generate a primary challenger to Lipps.[19]

Abortion

In November 2023, after Ohio voters approved a measure that would enshrine reproductive rights in the state's constitution, Gross was one of several Republicans who claimed that "[t]o prevent mischief by pro-abortion courts with Issue 1, Ohio legislators will consider removing jurisdiction from the judiciary over this ambiguous ballot initiative. The Ohio legislature alone will consider what, if any, modifications to make to existing laws".[20] She added, without evidence, that the result was "foreign election interference, and it will not stand."[8]

Witchcraft

On December 1, 2022 Gross invited a local "associate pastor" to cast out witchcraft from the statehouse.[21]

Personal life

She lives in West Chester, Ohio. She has a husband and two sons.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Representative Jennifer Gross". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved Jan 19, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Ohio House of Representatives District 52". Ballotpedia. Retrieved Jan 19, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Ohio House Republicans debate anti-vaccination bill again, Associated Press (August 24, 2021).
  4. ^ "Search Legislation". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  5. ^ "House Bill 68 | 135th General Assembly". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  6. ^ "House Bill 8 | 135th General Assembly". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  7. ^ "Gross Responds to Issue One Passage". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  8. ^ a b "DECEPTIVE OHIO ISSUE 1 MISLED THE PUBLIC BUT DOESN'T REPEAL OUR LAWS". Ohio House of Representatives. November 9, 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Michael D. Pitt (April 24, 2020). "Election 2020: Retired Air Force officer faces West Chester trustee for Ohio House nomination". Journal News.
  10. ^ a b c d Jessie Balmert (January 3, 2021). "Meet your new lawmakers: A congresswoman, superintendent, veteran and newcomer head to Columbus". Cincinnati Enquirer.
  11. ^ a b c d Andrew Welsh-Huggins, GOP bill would prohibit requiring vaccinations in Ohio, Associated Press (May 26, 2021).
  12. WCPO
    . 21 February 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c Jake Zuckerman (May 19, 2021). "House GOP takes aim at vaccine mandates from schools, employers, hospitals". Ohio Capitol Journal – via Cleveland Jewish News.
  14. ^ a b c d Jake Zuckerman (June 9, 2021). "'5G towers,' other conspiracies flourish at Ohio House hearing on vaccine bill". Ohio Capitol Journal – via TiffinOhio.net.
  15. ^
    Cleveland.com
    . 23 June 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  16. Toledo Blade
    . June 22, 2021.
  17. ^ Laura A. Bischoff, Ohio GOP lawmakers, citing 'need to protect' from vaccines, seek to expand exemptions, nix COVID passports, The Columbus Dispatch (May 26, 2021).
  18. ^ a b Laura A. Bischoff, Text messages show Ohio lawmakers’ behind-the-scenes effort to push anti-vaccine mandate bill, Cincinnati Enquirer (September 1, 2021).
  19. ^ a b Texts Between Ohio Republican Lawmakers Show Support For And Struggles Over Mandatory Vaccines Ban, Statehouse News Bureau, WOUB (September 2, 2021).
  20. ^ Hendrickson, Samantha (November 10, 2023). "Republican faction seeks to keep courts from interpreting Ohio's new abortion rights amendment". Associated Press.
  21. ^ Fening, Allison Babka, Madeline. "West Chester Rep. Jennifer Gross Asks Pastor to Banish 'Witchcraft' at Ohio Statehouse". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved 2023-11-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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