Florida Governor Calls for Special Session to Counter Vaccine and Mask Mandates

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis connected Oct. 21 called for a peculiar legislative league to see bills countering vaccine and disguise mandates.

The determination follows a bid of CCP microorganism vaccine mandates imposed by the medication of President Joe Biden. This does not beryllium good with the Florida Governor, and helium has “had enough” of national interference into authorities business, Christina Punshaw, Press Secretary told the Epoch Times.

The legislative proposals see the proviso of reemployment assistance to radical who are fired owed to nonaccomplishment to comply with an employer’s vaccine mandate. Under different proposal, Floridians who person an adverse absorption to a vaccine would beryllium eligible for workers’ compensation.

Employers who occurrence workers solely based connected the vaccine mandate would beryllium prohibited from enforcing non-compete agreements against the employees, according to different proposal. Another proviso would necessitate employers to supply and spiritual and wellness exemptions to vaccine mandates. Meanwhile, companies that neglect to notify employees astir the exemptions would beryllium liable to lawsuits by fired employees.

President Joe Biden past period ordered the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to make a regularisation to necessitate each backstage employers with 100 oregon much employees to mandate vaccines oregon necessitate them to taxable to play COVID-19 testing. The regularisation could impact astir 80 cardinal workers according to medication officials. Businesses could look fines up to $14,000 per violation.

Although the regularisation is not yet successful effect, a ample fig of backstage companies person mandated vaccines for their employees successful anticipation of the rule.

According to Charlotte County lawyer Charles Heekin, the Florida legislature could tackle the vaccine mandate contented by gathering connected the right-to-work extortion successful Florida’s Constitution.

Florida is an at-will employment state. Employers tin fire, demote, hire, beforehand and subject employees for astir immoderate reason, or nary crushed astatine all. As a result, the strongest recourse for backstage institution vaccine mandates is done legislative action.

In April, DeSantis signed an enforcement bid banning vaccine passports successful the Sunshine State. In May, helium signed a measure into instrumentality codifying the ban. The instrumentality (pdf) prohibits businesses from requiring customers to beryllium their vaccination status. It besides prohibits authorities entities successful Florida from issuing specified documents.

“In Florida, your idiosyncratic prime regarding vaccinations volition beryllium protected and nary concern oregon authorities entity volition beryllium capable to contradict you services based connected your decision,” DeSantis said successful May earlier helium signed the measure into law.

Republicans successful Texas, Wyoming, and Nebraska are considering statewide laws against vaccine mandates.

A special session successful Texas wrapped up without a ballot connected a measure countering the vaccine mandate backed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R).

Lawmakers successful Wyoming volition clasp a peculiar league adjacent week to see bills to antagonistic vaccine mandates.

In Nebraska, Republicans request much votes to trigger a peculiar league to see akin bills. In a quality release, the senators accidental determination is simply a “growing interest that employers volition necessitate their employees to take betwixt their jobs oregon being vaccinated without respect to their bully religion idiosyncratic objections.”