New bill scanning will require vaccines for every California worker – Orange County Register

Businesses large and small in California will have to require all workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 under a new bill announced Friday by Congressman Buffy Wicks of the East Bay.

If lawmakers approve the proposal, Golden State would become the first state to undertake such a sweeping mandate that applies not only to employees but also independent contractors.

“People are hungry for stability,” said the Oakland Democrat. “We can make that stability happen together.”

The move comes after the US Supreme Court blocked the nationwide mandate for vaccines to major employers that the Biden administration had hoped to do. Wicks said that decision prompted Sacramento to take action.

“It’s up to the states to decide,” said Wicks. “We feel very solid about our legal basis here.”

The 1993 Congressional Bill would allow for limited medical or religious exemptions, but require testing for anyone still unvaccinated. The measure would require new hires to have at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by the time they start, and a second dose within 45 days. Businesses that do not comply will face penalties, although the specifics are still being worked out.

“We haven’t determined that yet,” Wicks said, adding that she wanted to chat with members of the business community to craft a strong bill.

“Workers deserve to be safe,” she said. “There’s a lot of work that can’t be done remotely.”

The bill has generated opposition from Republicans.

“I have a lot of problems with this,” said Matt Shupe, president of the Contra Costa County GOP. “I think a bill like this just doubles the division and the fighting and it’s really unfortunate.”

The proposal, said Shupe, forces every business to be “the one responsible for their employees” and puts those who don’t want to be vaccinated in an impossible position.

“Are we forcing them to become homeless? How good is that policy? ” he said, adding that he thinks the state risks losing jobs or tax revenue if the mandate is passed.

But healthcare workers, labor organizations and some business groups hailed the idea on Friday.

The current patchwork of mandates varies from city to city, leaving many businesses struggling to keep up and forcing them to make uncomfortable, political decisions about whether vaccinations are needed.

“We need a statewide standard,” said John Arensmeyer, CEO of the Small Business Majority Foundation, which represents nearly 20,000 small businesses in California. “Small businesses don’t want to be traffic policemen in public safety debates.”

Businesses “just want to bow down and run their business knowing they have certainty and stability,” he said.

From a public health perspective, infectious disease expert John Swartzberg said the mandate of education campaigns about vaccine safety and effectiveness, as well as bribery, was not carried out. , and help ease the strain on exhausted hospitals and healthcare workers.

Swartzberg admits that “nobody likes to be told what to do.” However, he said, he remembers years ago when seat belt requirements were controversial. “Look at the number of lives they saved.”

Last year, Wicks launched a proposal that would require not only workers but patrons to be vaccinated. That invoice was never printed. The current version, which is limited to workers, will “focus the conversation a bit more,” she said.