An Oakland assemblymember has introduced legislation that will require all workers in California to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, a Democrat representing Assembly District 15, introduced Assembly Bill 1993 on Thursday. Under the bill, employees and independent contractors within the state would need to complete a two-dose vaccine series "authorized by" the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or World Health Organization before the start of next year.
In a Twitter thread on Friday morning, Wicks wrote that widespread vaccination will offer the state a "pathway to stability."
"People are craving stability, and we know enough at this point in the pandemic that we can make that happen," Wicks wrote on Friday, adding that the bill is "about workplace safety."
Nearly 80% of California adults and almost 70% of the state population were fully vaccinated as of Thursday, according to data submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Across the U.S., those percentages are 74.5% and 64.3%, respectively.
The bill, notably, wouldn't require California workers to receive a booster dose. Its text also doesn't include the word "booster," despite the California Department of Public Health's recommendation that residents receive a booster as soon as they're eligible.
While the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been FDA-approved for people who are at least 16 and 18 years old, respectively, Pfizer boosters for people aged 12 or older, as well as Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters for adults, are only authorized for emergency use .Wicks' bill doesn't say a vaccine needs full approval, only to be "authorized by" the FDA or WHO.
The legislation would require a majority vote in the Assembly and State Senate before heading to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk for signature. Republicans, who broadly oppose vaccine mandates, have nine members in the 40-person Senate and 19 in the 80-member Assembly.
The Supreme Court last month struck down President Joe Biden's executive order mandating COVID-19 vaccinations or weekly testing for employees of large companies. Stanford professor Michelle Mello, who teaches in the university's law and medical schools, said last month that the Court's opinion, still allowed for states to "require it for worksites within their borders."
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