Texas governor bans firms from demanding COVID vaccinations
Print Edition
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order on Monday to prohibit any entity, including private business, from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on workers and called on state lawmakers to pass a similar ban into law.
The move comes as the Biden administration is set to issue rules force employers with more than 100 workers to require vaccinations or test workers weekly for the coronavirus. Several major companies, including Texas-based American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, have said they would abide by the federal mandate.
鈥淣o entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19,鈥 Abbott wrote in his order.
Abbott, who was previously vaccinated and also later tested positive for COVID-19, noted in his order that 鈥渧accines are strongly encouraged for those eligible to receive one, but must always be voluntary for Texans.鈥
Texas has seen a recent decrease in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. But a rising death toll from the recent surge caused by the Delta variant has the state rapidly approaching 67,000 total fatalities since the pandemic began in 2020.
The governor added the issue to the agenda for lawmakers to address during the ongoing special session Abbott called for redrawing voting maps and new restrictions on transgender student athletes. Montana has passed a law preventing employers from mandating workers get vaccines, and a number of states have explicitly said schools cannot require vaccinations.
Abbott previously barred vaccine mandates by state and local government agencies, but until now had let private companies make their own rules for their workers. It was not immediately clear if Abbott鈥檚 latest executive order would face a quick court challenge.
Abbott鈥檚 new order also carries political implications. The two-term Republican is facing pressure from two candidates in next year鈥檚 GOP primary, former state Senator Don Huffines and former Florida Congressman and Texas state party chairman Allen West, have attacked Abbott鈥檚 COVID-19 policies and have strongly opposed vaccine mandates.
鈥淗e knows which the way the wind is blowing. He knows conservative Republican voters are tired of the vaccine mandates and tired of him being a failed leader,鈥 Huffines tweeted.
West recently tested positive for COVID-19. He was briefly hospitalized, but also tweeted he remains opposed to vaccine mandates.
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