An effort by Arizona lawmakers to ban state and local governments from mandating COVID-19 “vaccine passports” failed earlier this week.
The measure, House Bill 2190, was introduced in mid-April and sought to prohibit business entities from requiring a person to provide proof of vaccination.
The legislation would have also prevented public universities in Arizona, as well as county, local, and state governments from requiring people to provide proof of vaccination. Healthcare professionals would have been allowed to require proof of vaccination, but they would be prohibited from rejecting services based on someone’s vaccination status.
“A health care institution may not deny a patient or a resident health care services based on the person’s vaccination status,” the bill reads.
Anyone in violation of the new law would have faced a Class 3 misdemeanor, which is punishable by an up to $500 fine and no more than 30 days in prison.
Vaccine passports have been criticized by civil liberties groups, who say they would potentially violate Americans’ privacy rights while denying key services to people who aren’t vaccinated.
Last month, lawmakers in Indiana passed a bill seeking to block the use of vaccine passports. Similar measures were proposed in Michigan, Tennessee, New Jersey, and New Hampshire.
“Vaccine passport programs have the potential to politicize a decision that should not be politicized,” Gordon, the governor of Wyoming, previously said in a statement.
“They would divide our citizens at a time when unity in fighting the virus is essential, and harm those who are medically unable to receive the vaccine. While I strongly encourage Wyomingites over the age of 16 to get vaccinated against COVID-19, it is a personal choice based upon personal circumstances.”
