PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A State Senate committee moved a bill that would prohibit vaccine passports in Pennsylvania.
“It is a simple concept. It would ban the state, county, local municipality or school district from requiring a proof of the COVID-19 vaccine to enter a facility within its territory," said York County Republican Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill, the bill's prime sponsor.
She says it would also block the state from requiring proof of vaccine to enter a barber shop or a restaurant.
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Governor Tom Wolf has said repeatedly he has no plans to implement a statewide vaccine passport. He said he doesn’t think it’s the government’s place to tell a business whether they could or couldn’t require proof for entry.
Montgomery County Democratic State Senator Art Haywood spoke up against it, in part because it would restrict school districts from requiring proof of the vaccine.
“I believe there’s much more study that needs to be undertaken to determine whether school districts should have the authority, should exercise the authority for immunizations with COVID-19 along with the many other immunizations that they administer, he said.
The bill passed the Senate Health and Human Services committee and moves for further consideration in the State Senate.