A House committee unanimously approves legislation banning the Office of Motor Vehicles from putting a person’s vaccine status on their driver’s license, or requiring vaccination to receive an ID.
Gonzales Representative Kathy Edmonston said she filed this bill to make sure state IDs could not be turned into “vaccine passports”.
“Overwhelmingly citizens do not want the driver’s license to become a vaccine passport or be used for any type of medical information,” said Edmonston.
“Vaccine passports” identify someone as being fully vaccinated, thus allowing them access to entry and participation in certain events like concerts that will only allow participation from those fully vaccinated.
The committee hearing prompted some airing of grievances by members of the public against the idea of vaccine passports themselves.
“New York, California, and Israel have implemented vaccine passports to approve or deny travel, and entry into buildings and events. This is incredible government overreach,” said Jill Hines, co-director of Health Freedom Louisiana, an organization that has previously taken stands against the statewide mask mandate and suggested a link between vaccinations and autism.
The legislation seems set for an easy passage through the Lower Chamber. Haughton Representative Dodie Horton echoed several other members’ comments that including medical information on state IDs would be a violation of privacy.
“Where would we stop tagging people for, this one has AIDS, this one has hepatitis C, it just would go on and on and on, our privacy matters,” said Horton.
There’s question as to whether the bill is actually needed to accomplish its stated goals. An OMV spokesperson told the committee that the office is currently not authorized by the Legislature to put someone’s vaccine status on a driver’s license or require vaccination to receive one. To do so would require Legislative approval.
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