Georgia state senators have voted to make permanent a soon-to-expire law that bans government agencies from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or “vaccine passports,” as a condition of service.
As a compromise with pro-vaccine Democrats, the bill was amended to have an expiration date of June 30, 2023.
“No agency shall require proof of COVID-19 vaccination of any person as a condition of providing any service or access to any facility, issuing any license, permit, or other type of authorization, or performing any duty of such agency,” a part of the bill reads.
Like its predecessor, the bill doesn’t apply to workplaces where employees must be vaccinated to avoid violating the terms of contracts they have with the federal government.
“Government should not deny services to citizens based on COVID-19 vaccination status,” Dolezal said.
The bill now moves to the state House of Representatives.
Kemp, who has touted his anti-mandate stance, is expected to sign SB 1 if it gets to his desk.
While an expiration date approaches for the state’s vaccine passport ban, there are still many years before parents in the Peach State have to worry about their children being forced to wear a mask at school.
In March 2022, Kemp signed into law a bill that allows parents to decide whether their children wear masks at school. This law, dubbed “Unmask Georgia Students Act,” won’t expire until June 30, 2027.
“Parents are the best decision-makers when it comes to the health and education of their children,” state Rep. Lauren McDonald III, a Republican who presented the bill in the lower chamber, said at that time. “This legislation ensures that those rights are not infringed by misguided policies.”