DeSantis calls for special legislative session for bills that would counter mask, vaccine mandates

Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday called for a special legislative session to take up bills that would counter vaccine and mask mandates.

 DeSantis press secretary Christina Punshaw says the governor has "had enough" of federal interference, by way of vaccine mandate and mask requirements, in state business. 

The proposals include provisions that include reemployment assistance to people fires from their jobs fo failing to comply with an employer's vaccine mandate and workers' compensation for people who have adverse reactions to a vaccine.

Additionally, employers who terminate workers solely based on vaccine mandates would be prohibited from enforcing non-compete agreements, and employers would be required to provide religious and health exemptions to vaccine mandates.

Early last month, President Biden ordered the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to establish a rule that will require all private employers with 100 or more workers to mandate vaccines or weekly COVID-19 testing. 

The rule has yet to go into effect, though many mid-size and large businesses have begun implementing vaccines in anticipation of the federal mandate. 

This past spring, DeSantis signed an executive order banning vaccine passports in Florida. He fortified the order in May by signing a law to codify it. The law means that businesses in Florida are prevented from requiring customers to prove their vaccination status. 

In Wyoming, lawmakers will go into special session next week to consider bills of a similar nature that will counter vaccine mandates in the state.