West Palm Beach, FL – Today, Representative Lois Frankel (FL-21) released the following statement after Governor DeSantis announced that he would call for a special session next month to attempt to pass legislation that would ban local governments and agencies from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for their employees, and strip liability protections from any businesses that impose them.

“The Governor continues to put politics above the health and safety of Floridians,” said Rep Frankel. “The COVID-19 vaccines are FDA approved and have saved countless lives—we should be applauding leaders in our community that have been pushing for others to get vaccinated, not punishing them. I will be introducing legislation to protect the rights of local governments, agencies, and employers from this kind of gross political overreach by the state.”

Vaccine mandates are a critical tool for keeping employees and patrons safe, and they are effective. For example, after announcing its vaccination requirement, more than half of United Airlines unvaccinated workers went out and got vaccinated, and Tyson’s vaccination rate jumped from 45 percent to 72 percent within weeks. Governor’s proposed policies would not only undermine local governments that are doing their best to keep their communities safe but make businesses that require vaccinations liable for any adverse reaction to the vaccine itself.

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