(WWJ) -- A bill that would ban so-called “vaccine passports” in Michigan is moving to the state Senate after the House approved a measure Wednesday preventing government entities from issuing, producing or requiring them.
Despite no real proposal for vaccine passports, state legislators are moving to prevent such a rule. Several states in the U.S. have implemented vaccine passport requirements for residents, meaning they must show proof they are vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to go certain places in public.
House Bill 4667, known as the COVID-19 Vaccination Privacy Act, would prohibit a state agency or local government from issuing documentation to certify that an individual has been vaccinated against the virus that has gripped the world for more than a year.
The House voted 62-47 in favor of the bill.
As infection and hospitalization rates are declining, pandemic restrictions are slowly being lifted. On June 1, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration lifted all outdoor capacity limits and increased indoor capacity limits to 50%.
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On July 1, all capacity, face mask and gathering restrictions will be completely lifted, as more and more Michiganders have received the vaccine.
State legislators say despite no real efforts to require vaccine passports in Michigan, they wanted to take measures to protect Michganders’ rights, especially when it comes to private medical information.
“We all have a right to privacy, especially when it comes to our personal medical information,” Rep. Ann Bollin, (R-Brighton) said in a press release. “The choice to get vaccinated, or not, is a decision that every individual should be empowered to make on their own after carefully considering advice from doctors who understand their unique health concerns. No one should be pressured into getting a shot by the threat of a ‘vaccine passport’ or other mandates from the government.”
The bill now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
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