A state lawmaker in Indiana has filed a bill to ban “vaccine status discrimination” as the number of cases continues to rise across the Hoosier State.
The legislation, Senate Bill 114, would ban businesses from mandating their staff or customers be vaccinated, according to a report.
The bill would also prohibit mandated testing, masking, and social distancing for the unvaccinated when the vaccinated are not required to do the same, according to the legislation.
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The legislation was drafted in response to the overflow of calls and emails from Hoosiers concerned over mandates, Indiana state Sen. Jim Tomes, a Republican, said.
No individual should be forced to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, Tomes said, but critics of his legislation argue businesses are the most appropriate forces to make decisions about the health of their staff and customers, according to the report.
Jeffrey McDermott, the president and CEO of the Center for Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, said a significant number of artists will not perform unless protective measures against the coronavirus are implemented.
“I can’t speak to this specific legislation, but I can say that most artists on the center’s schedule are in the midst of national or international tours through locations with widely varying vaccination and infection rates,” McDermott said.
“A statewide law of this kind could have a profound negative impact on Indiana’s live entertainment industry, which employs thousands of people and generates millions in economic activity.”
Businesses and “governmental units” that are already banned from mandating vaccines would be prohibited from offering incentives to become vaccinated, according to the legislation.
Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, has stated he prefers to have businesses make the decisions on mandates.
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“I have long said very openly that I believe that the employers, the businesses, are in the best position to determine how to keep their employees safe,” he said. “I trust them to make that decision. Now I will be paying very close attention to every word in whatever bill makes its way.”
