Wyoming Legislature Passes Bill Against COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

On Wednesday, the Wyoming legislature adjourned their special session after approving one bill intended to prevent federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements.

Get our free mobile app

The bill, House Bill 1002, would make it so no public entity could enforce any mandate by the federal government that requires employers to mandate that an employee get the COVID‑19 vaccine.

A public entity as defined by the bill does not include anyone that would lose federal funding by not instituting a vaccine requirement.

The bill also includes two sections, one that says the bill won't take effect if President Joe Biden's order on vaccine requirements is upheld by the courts, but will take effect if a federal court nullifies Biden's order or puts a stay on it.

On the legal side, the bill also allows the Wyoming attorney general to take part in or start any legal action against federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements, and allocates $4 million to fund any legal efforts until July 2030.

The original bill had allocated only $250,000, but that figure was increased after the House and Senate met to amend the bill so both chambers could agree.

The final vote on the bill was 40-17 in the House and 20-7 in the Senate.

When the legislature began their special session, there were 40 bills put forth in the House and Senate, but only a handful ended up receiving any votes.

In line with the bill, Governor Mark Gordon announced in a press release on Thursday that Wyoming, along with several other states, will sue the Biden administration on Friday over the vaccine mandates that will be imposed on employers with 100 or more employees.

The suit will be filed once the emergency temporary standard is issued by the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration, which is slated to be released on Friday.

Gordon said:

"We have prepared for this moment and the Attorney General has a strong legal strategy she developed with a coalition of other Attorneys General. We cannot allow the rights of Wyoming citizens and her industries to be trampled on by federal overreach."

Answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practical—how will I get vaccinated?—to the scientific—how do these vaccines even work?

Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.