Posted on 06/07/2021 1:30:44 PM PDT by a fool in paradise
Texas businesses cannot require their customers to prove their COVID-19 vaccine status under a bill soon to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
The measure, Senate Bill 968, outlaws so-called “vaccine passports” and prevents businesses from asking consumers to show their vaccine cards to receive services. Abbott had issued a similar executive order in April, though that applied only to state agencies and other organizations that receive public funding.
“I’m signing a law today that prohibits any business operating in Texas from requiring vaccine passports or any vaccine information,” Abbott tweeted Monday. “Texas is open 100 percent without any restrictions or limitations or requirements.”
The Senate approved the measure unanimously in April, and the House passed it by a vote of 146-2 in May. Because it earned two-thirds support in both chambers, the bill will take effect immediately after Abbott signs it.
Any business that does not comply with the law “is not eligible to receive a grant or enter into a contract payable with state funds.” State agencies may also “require compliance … as a condition for a license, permit, or other state authorization necessary for conducting business in this state.”
Abbott’s announcement came after Carnival Cruise Line confirmed plans on Monday to resume operations in Galveston next month. The cruise line said it would require passengers to show proof of vaccination, based on requirements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The current CDC requirements for cruising with a guest base that is unvaccinated will make it very difficult to deliver the experience our guests expect, especially given the large number of families with younger children who sail with us,” said Christine Duffy, the president of Carnival Cruise Line, in a release.
“As a result, our alternative is to operate our ships from the U.S. during the month of July with vaccinated guests.”
The cruise line is based in Florida, where GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis has similarly barred businesses from mandating that consumers certify their vaccine status.
It is unclear how the cruise industry will be impacted by the state laws, as the businesses operate across multiple states and in international waters. The issue may be settled in court.
“We are evaluating the legislation recently signed into law in Texas regarding vaccine information,” Vance Gulliksen, a Carnival spokesperson, said in an email. “The law provides exceptions for when a business is implementing COVID protocols in accordance with federal law, which is consistent with our plans to comply with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s guidelines.”
SB 968 explicitly outlaws “vaccine passports,” but it does not stop businesses from “implementing COVID-19 screening and infection control protocols in accordance with state and federal law to protect public health,” the bill states.
A spokesman for state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, who authored the bill, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
>>it does not stop businesses from “implementing COVID-19 screening and infection control protocols in accordance with state and federal law to protect public health,” the bill states.
Isolating after a positive coronavirus test? The CDC says you can still vote in person.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/03/cdc-covid-19-vote-election/
By
Andrea Salcedo
November 3, 2020 at 6:25 a.m
Every day, tens of thousands of Americans learn they are infected with the novel coronavirus. On Monday alone, another 86,154 new cases were confirmed.
Everyone with covid-19 is supposed to isolate at home to prevent further spread of a disease that has already killed at least 230,000 Americans, but new cases are appearing as voting for the presidential election reaches its final stretch.
Can voters who test positive for the coronavirus still come to the polls on Tuesday?
Yes, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which on Sunday published new guidelines noting that sick voters still have the right to cast a ballot.
“Voters have the right to vote, regardless of whether they are sick or in quarantine,” the CDC says on their website. Under federal law, turning someone away from a polling site is considered illegal and an act of voter intimidation.
...The CDC’s new guidelines also ask sick voters and those in quarantine to stay at least six feet away from others at polling sites, to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before and after voting, and not to wipe down any voting equipment unless asked to do so...
Following Florida’s lead.
True but the bill was passed in April.
It was never not going to be signed.
The election integrity bill,and constitutional carry Gregg, nothing else is important at this point. Everything else can be fixed later!!!!!!!
Election integrity requires extra session time.
This bill has already passed the house and senate and so has Constitutional Carry.
They dropped the vaccine requirement here in Florida because De Santis issued an order preventing “passports” from being required for cruises.
Hopefully, this will have the same effect in Texas.
Bravo for Texas. NO NAZI SHOW ME YOUR PAPERS.
So essentially, the law is worthless and Carnival can do all the screenings it pleases?
screen for the virus, can’t screen for paperwork
and even the vaccinated may be positive at some point
This addresses businesses, and not just cruise lines.
In reality, all you need is the Vaccination record from the medical facility that performed the required vaccination(s). I simply copied the record (from the Navy) onto my smartphone and have had no problems. The original is locked away with my passport.
Desantis paved the way, and took the arrows.
Another state essentially barring cruise. Yes, the CDC could give in to the states, but that would mean further restrictions on passengers.
Irrelevant if the cruise line can't ask for it. Due to state law, not your willingness to present it.
“Bake the darned cake, Carnival”
Not really. Just set up a 5 minute test booth in the terminal facility and require passengers to pass the test to continue.
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