ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was joined by Senate President Wilton Simpson and House of Representatives Speaker Chris Sprowls to announce a new legislative agenda.
The agenda mainly focuses on the federal government's new vaccination rules that were announced last week.
The agenda consists of four bills that would prevent COVID-19 vaccine mandates from employers or schools and a bill for Florida to withdraw from OSHA.
SB 2/HB 1B would prevent public educational institutions or governmental entities from requiring COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment and fine companies up to $50,000 for violating it and prohibit schools from requiring masks or the COVID-19 vaccine.
It would also prevent private employers from requiring vaccines. Private employers would have to provide at least one exemption including periodic testing and religious reasons.
SB 4/HB 3B would create a public records exemption for certain information, such as personal medical information or information regarding an employee's religious beliefs, contained in files created during an investigation of an employer that refuses to provide the individual exemptions or terminates an employee based on COVID-19 vaccination status.
SB 6/HB 5B would withdraw Florida from the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and assert state jurisdiction over occupational safety and health issues.
SB 8B/HB 7B would repeals provisions of existing law that could allow the state health officer to mandate vaccines.
