For the second year in a row, the Utah House overwhelmingly approved a bill to prevent most private businesses and government agencies from requiring proof of vaccination from customers and employees. The bill now moves to the Senate, where backers hope to avoid a replay of 2022, which saw the bill die without floor debate on the final night of the session.
House Bill 131 from Rep. Walt Brooks, R-St. George, won quick approval Monday morning from the GOP-dominated House. Brooks says he is worked to blunt most of the opposition that stymied the bill last year, adding an exception for businesses that could lose federal funding by dropping a vaccine requirement.
“We worked really hard to get this to a point where it will be acceptable. I think we’ve done that,” Brooks said.
Rep. Keven Stratton, R-Orem, endorsed the bill, arguing it was necessary to have the government intrude into private businesses to prevent businesses from stepping on civil liberties.
“This is very important to protect our families and our businesses from inappropriate interference,” Stratton said.
[Get the latest Utah political news in the new Daily Buzz email newsletter. Sign up here.]
There are several reasons that the bill is likely to avoid the fate of last year’s proposal.
In 2022, the bill did not move from the House to the Senate until late February, with just ten days remaining in the session. With more than 30 days remaining in the 2023 session, lack of time has been neutralized as an excuse.
The volume and emotion surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have seemingly faded significantly compared with 2022.
Last year, opponents of COVID restrictions crowded committee rooms and pressured lawmakers to outlaw vaccine passports, even though they were mostly non-existent in Utah. A Senate committee hearing was so rowdy a member of the public was hauled out of the room in handcuffs. That’s a far cry from last week’s subdued committee hearing and quick passage on the House floor.
It still is not certain that Brooks’ bill will get over the finish line this year, as there is a committee hearing and a pair of votes on the Senate floor left for the bill.
