Bill to Ban "Vaccine Passports" in Florida, Moving Forward in Florida House
The Florida House voted 76-40 to approve the proposal (SB 2006).
The Florida Senate passed the bill last week, but the measure needs to return to the Senate because of changes made by the House.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on April 2nd, 2021, issued an "executive order" blocking COVID-19 passports, which he said would create huge privacy issues that could result in people handing over medical information to a big corporations.
“It’s completely unacceptable for either the government or the private sector to impose upon you the requirement that you show proof of vaccine to just simply be able to participate in normal society,” DeSantis said before signing the order. “If you want to go to the movie theater, should you have to show that? No. If you want to go to a game, no. If you want to go to a theme park, no. … I think it’s something that people have certain freedoms and individual liberties to make decisions for themselves.”
This bill would prohibit businesses, schools, and government entities from requiring customers to show documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccinations or post-infection recovery.
In addition to barring COVID-19 passports, the measure would require local emergency orders to be narrowly tailored and to be extended in seven-day increments for a total duration of 42 days. Currently, such orders can be issued initially for seven days and extended indefinitely in seven-day increments.
The bill would give the governor power to override local orders if they are determined to “unnecessarily restrict individual rights or liberties.”
Another segment of the bill, says that state agencies would be required to develop by the end of 2022 public health emergency plans and that the Division of Emergency Management would have to stockpile personal protective equipment.