Gov. Kevin Stitt is already calling President Joe Biden’s mandate for some employers to require COVID-19 vaccinations or weekly testing unconstitutional.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration submitted draft rules for the requirements Biden ordered this week. There is no set timeline for their initial review, and the proposed order won’t be made public until that is done. Still, Stitt released a video Thursday saying he has already conferred with his hand-picked attorney general on the matter.
"I've talked this over with Attorney General John O'Connor, and I know he's on our side. He's ready to take President Biden to court the second the rules are made public. This administration has no respect for individual freedoms. I can't believe we have a president who wants to force Americans to choose between a vaccine and their job," Stitt said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njBGrlZlfVo
With no good sense of how long the rulemaking process will take, Biden has urged employers to voluntarily implement policies on vaccination or testing. Under Biden's proposal, workers at companies with 100 or more employees would not have to get vaccinated if they get tested for COVID on a weekly basis.
"I don't believe it's the government's job to dictate policies to private companies. Just as I believe Joe Biden can't tell businesses they have to mandate a vaccine, I don't believe the government should tell a company they can't. Businesses should have the freedom to make decisions based on their circumstances," Stitt said.
Earlier this year, Stitt did not grant a group of Republican state lawmakers’ request for him to call a special session to bar vaccine requirements. Stitt did sign into law a bill that banned public school districts from requiring masks absent an emergency declaration in their county. A judge temporarily blocked the law last month but said districts that do require masks must allow parents or students to opt out.
Stitt and O’Connor are calling on employers that voluntarily institute vaccination requirements to allow religious, medical and personal exemptions.
