’21 SB0858/HB0575 – Ragan/Bowling
Bill Description
Public Health - As enacted, repeals private acts enacting county boards of health or departments of health; requires commissioner of health to report information regarding certain quarantines to the joint government operations committee, the health committee of the house, and the health and welfare committee of the senate; limits the county health officer's quarantine power; prohibits state or local governmental official, entity, department, or agency requiring physical documentation or digital storage of protected health information related to an individual's immunization or vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of entering upon the premises of a state or local government entity, or utilizing services provided by a state or local government entity.
TLRC Position
TLRC supports this legislation. Health boards are unelected and not accountable to the people. The "experts" have been wrong more than they have been right during the course of the COVID spread.
We are not sure that giving the authority to county mayors is the best solution, as they tend to want to mitigate their liability more than anything else.
TLRC Observed Process
Passed on a partisan basis with much drama and interaction along the way. Complete story coming….
Vote Result: Passed
