State senator drafts bill against Biden administration’s vaccine mandate

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - Some Mississippi state leaders are attempting to block President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

State senator Joey Fillingane, who represents parts of the Pine Belt, is drafting a bill regarding the presidential mandate that requires companies with 100 or more employees to enforce mandatory vaccinations, or have employees undergo weekly testing.

“This bill simply outlaws any federally-mandated vaccine requirement in order to maintain your job,” said Fillingane, R-District 41. “If the federal government persists and says, ‘Well, we don’t care. We’re going to trump your law and go forward with it anyway’... at least at that point it gives people a cause that they can carry to court _ state court, federal court, whatever _ and say, ‘Wait a minute...what about our rights?’”

For now, the bill does not have any provisions about additional testing or increased precautions for the unvaccinated workers.

“Now if the federal government wants to come in and say you should test more regularly if you decide not to get vaccinated or things of that nature, that’s certainly a separate issue that can be hashed out at that point,” Fillingane said.

Fillingane says the bill will be ready whenever the state legislature reconvenes.

“In a regular session or a special session, either one, whichever comes first, in trying to protect people by passing a law that states we will not recognize those in Mississippi,” Fillingane said.

The state legislature is set to go back into session in January, but could be called into a special session by Gov. Tate Reeves before then.

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