BATON ROUGE. (AP) — A key step the city of New Orleans took to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic would be prohibited under legislation approved Tuesday by a House committee.
The bill by Rep. Thomas Pressly, a Shreveport Republican, would prohibit state and local governments from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a condition for entry into public places or private businesses. It was approved 12-5 by the Health and Welfare Committee. It goes next to the full House.
Last August, New Orleans began requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test as a condition for entering bars, restaurants or other public venues. The mandate stayed in place through the Mardi Gras season that draws huge crowds to the city. It was lifted in late March as cases and hospitalization rates declined.
Pressly's bill would not prohibit businesses from imposing vaccine mandates on their own. The bill was approved by a vote of 12-5.
Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has long touted the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, last year vetoed legislation aimed at vaccine mandates. It's not yet clear whether he would veto Pressly's bill, should it become law.
The committee also approved a resolution that would repeal a state health department rule that added the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required vaccinations. The resolution, which goes next to the full House, would not be subject to veto.
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