California’s most extreme legislation requiring compulsory vaccines was put on hold Tuesday after massive backlash from public safety unions.
Assembly Bill 1993, requiring workers and independent contractors in the state to be vaccinated against Covid-19, was deferred by Democrat Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks before its scheduled hearing in front of the Labor and Employment Committee on Wednesday.
Wicks claims the drop in Covid cases will allow her to work with employers and labor unions to “address concerns raised by the bill,” according to The Sacramento Bee.
“That is why we have decided to put AB 1993 on pause, and allow space for these conversations to continue and progress,” Wicks continued.
Wicks’ decision follows significant opposition to AB 1993 from numerous public safety unions, including the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, California Correctional Peace Officers Association, and California Professional Firefighters. These groups have a significantly lower vaccination rate than the general public, per the Los Angeles Times.
Nonetheless, Wicks hopes that “they will ultimately come to the table to make sure all of their workers are vaccinated, and that every job sector in California has the tools necessary to keep their workers safe from COVID-19.”
Moreover, Wicks claimed that backlash from the freedom trucker convoy, coined the “People’s Convoy,” that protested vaccine mandates, had nothing to do with her decision to halt the bill.
“I don’t think my colleagues will be swayed by a trucker gang or whatever they are,” Wicks claimed. “I think my colleagues would much rather listen to public health officials.”
Wicks also suggested during an interview that the bill could make its way to the state legislature “should the condition warrant.”
Republican Assemblyman Kevin Kiley was among the many individuals to celebrate the hold on Twitter: “We’ve defeated AB 1993, the employer vaccine mandate.”
Despite the successful defeat of AB 1993, multiple Covid-related radical bills remain in the state’s legislature.
SB 871 from Democrat Sen. Richard Pan would require all children to be vaccinated to attend school. This measure would dangerously remove the personal belief exemption. SB 1464, by the same senator, would force law enforcement officials to enforce all public health orders.
Even more alarming, SB 866, introduced by Democrat Sen. Scott Wiener, would diminish parental rights by allowing children ages 12 to 17 to receive the Covid-19 vaccine without parental consent.
AB 1797 would allow California school officials easy access to students’ vaccine records, and under AB 2098, the state would punish physicians or doctors for spreading Covid “misinformation.”
While Californians can be sure of Wicks’ tyrannical bill’s demise, the fight isn’t over. Lawmakers in the Golden State plan to pass the most aggressive laws in the country if they have no opposition.