U.S. Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) on Friday introduced legislation aimed at limiting the ability of companies to require their employees to receive a coronavirus vaccine.
The new bill would prohibit businesses that received federal COVID-19 relief funds from mandating vaccination of their employees.
“Employers should not be meddling in the personal, private health care decisions of their employees by mandating the COVID-19 vaccine. Many of these companies turned to the federal government for support during 2020’s tough economic times, and that support was provided by American taxpayers. Now companies are bullying those same tax-paying employees into taking a vaccine that they may not be comfortable with,” Biggs said in a statement.
Furthermore, the potential law would require companies that continue to impose vaccine mandates to return all federal funds that they received, a tactic Biggs argues would prevent widespread mandates.
“My bill will stop those companies from enforcing those mandates by requiring them to return the relief funds they received if they don’t allow their employees to make their own personal health care decisions,” the congressman continued.
Companies across the country have continued to require employees to receive one of the three potential COVID-19 vaccines, even with the encouragement of President Joe Biden.
“Today, I’m calling on more companies…in the private sector to step up the vaccine requirements that will reach millions more people. If you’re a business leader, a non-profit leader, a state or local leader, who has been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do that,” Biden said after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval for the Pfizer vaccine.
Throughout the course of the pandemic, thousands of businesses and companies were awarded funds from the federal government in order to offset the increased cost of safety measures and a decrease in revenue due to lockdowns.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
