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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) – A bill advancing in the state Legislature is drawing harsh criticism from South Carolina leaders, including the governor, who say it could hinder the state’s response to the public health crisis. There is.
Now, another part of the bill faces significant opposition from another group: South Carolina’s business community.
Bob Morgan, president and CEO of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, testified last month before a Senate subcommittee that “jobs could be lost for individuals and for the state.”
Read more: South Carolina governor: Proposed ‘Healthcare Freedom Act’ could ‘put innocent lives at risk’
The bill in question, known as the Health Care Freedom Act, would require employees and students to go to work or school only if they have received a vaccine that has not received full approval from the FDA or if the vaccine is cleared for use. It prohibits states from mandating that. Less than 10 years.
However, private employers will also be prohibited from requiring workers to undergo these “new vaccines” or gene treatments as a condition of employment, with violations facing fines and even jail time.
Mr. Morgan testified against the bill on behalf of businesses, sent a letter expressing his concerns, and said he would continue to speak out against the bill for as long as it remains in place.
“We think it’s best not to talk about the risks businesses will take if the state comes to South Carolina,” he said.
Morgan said this is similar to when he opposed the Biden administration’s edict on large employers requiring workers to get the coronavirus vaccine when it was first proposed several years ago during the pandemic. It was a restriction they fought against, he said.
Neither proposal was successful. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the White House order, and state legislatures removed the ban on requiring private employers to vaccinate from a bill that would eventually become law in 2022. At the end of 2023, states will ban coronavirus vaccination requirements for employees and students and allow workers who lose their jobs for failing to comply with coronavirus vaccination requirements to be eligible for unemployment. Ta. )
While these previous measures only applied to COVID-19 vaccinations, the new proposals apply beyond that.
The director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control told senators that the bill would also prohibit hospitals and health care facilities from requiring annual flu shots for their employees because the virus could be considered a novel vaccine. Stated.
“We have employee rights, but we also have to balance them with our responsibility to protect employers, Prisma, nursing homes and patients,” said Sen. Margie Bright Matthews (D-Colleton). Ta.
Supporters of the vaccine mandate ban said they don’t want South Carolina workers to have to choose between a jab or a job.
Sen. Richard Cash: “Personally, I don’t think people who are living paycheck to paycheck should be put in a situation where they have to do this to pay their mortgage.” (R-Anderson) said.
And they argued that these obligations affect workers far beyond working hours.
“They can do anything at any time between 7-5, 7-7, 9-4,” said Sen. Shane Martin (R-Spartanburg), the bill’s lead sponsor. He will tell you.” “If you are required to take a new, unproven vaccine, the moment you take it, you will be taking that vaccine for the rest of your life.”
But Morgan said lawmakers should leave business decisions to corporations.
“Let’s give employers the benefit of the doubt. No one has a more important issue in ensuring the health and safety of their employees. Let them decide,” he said. Ta.
Other provisions in the bill would remove or reduce the state health department’s authority to require people who have been exposed to or become infected with the disease to isolate or quarantine, and to seek help from law enforcement if they do not comply. ing.
Gov. Henry McMaster told senators that the bill would also take away the state’s ability to respond to health and human safety threats during and after natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. The letter said enactment of the law “could impair South Carolina’s ability to respond quickly and appropriately.” It could expose future public health threats and put innocent lives at risk. ”
The heads of DHEC and the South Carolina Emergency Management Agency joined the governor in urging senators to put the brakes on the bill.
Last week, the bill moved from the Health Care Committee to the Senate floor along party lines, where it has faced resistance.
It remains to be seen whether such opposition will block further movement on the bill, or if there is enough support among the Republican majority to spark debate.
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