November 4, 2021 |
And then there was one. A full week after the special session started with a rush and roar, it ended with only one of the original 40 bills surviving for the governor to sign. Another contender, House Bill 1001, died Wednesday with barely a whimper on third reading in the senate Wednesday.
It mattered little. The legislation had been gutted of its original intent by that point. Under pressure from business lobbyists, the senate had transformed the bill into an empty promise. HB 1001 had started out as a way to protect workers from being forced to choose between their job or taking a drug injection that has a sketchy record of providing protection against COVID-19. The injection also carries health risks that range from mild discomfort to heart attacks and death.
Businesses were afraid if they enforced the federal mandate, their workers would sue them under state law. They also feared federal retaliation if they did not force the jab or testing. By yesterday, both threats had been removed. State Senator Larry Hicks of Baggs summed up what remained of the bill after it had been dismembered. Hicks said the legislation would have zero impact on businesses. It wouldn’t protect workers, either.
Businesses were off the hook with the state because a provision prohibiting employers from mandating the COVID jab could not be enforced until the State of Wyoming had exhausted every legal avenue in its lawsuit against the White House over the matter. The court proceedings likely would take years. During that time, the bill could not be enforced. It likely would never have a chance to go into effect. The senate, filled with savvy and crafty attorneys, added a sunset provision that carried a self-destruct date of March 31st, 2023.
All the senate was voting on at third reading, Hicks said, was a provision added at the last minute that would have given parents of public school children a final say over face mask and vaccine mandates.
Even then, the mostly Republican senate failed to muster the necessary majority — 16 votes — to pass HB 1001. The one bill that survived — HB 1002 — also also will not protect workers from the mandate. It was approved Wednesday night and is headed to the governor for his signature.
