Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector
photo by: Lucas Lord/Kansas Reflector
Sen. Mark Steffen, R-Hutchinson, testifies in support of his bill to prohibit employers from mandating COVID-19 vaccination for their employees.
TOPEKA Sen. Mark Steffen pushed colleagues Thursday to support his legislation banning employers from requiring workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, saying lawmakers should reject the idea that society is more important than the individual.
Senate Bill 213 would prohibit employers from taking adverse action against employees who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine, and would impose a $1,000 fine for employers who violate the restriction. Steffen said this would preserve freedom of choice for individuals and relieve employers from the liability of imposing a medical procedure on an unwilling worker.
A regional doctor and Republican representative is calling for widespread use of coronavirus vaccines after he received the shot Thursday; John Eplee, R-Atchison, is one of the first in the region to get a shot.
In an interview with News-Press NOW on Friday, Eplee was critical of a former appointee of President Donald Trumpâs who called for a âherd immunityâ strategy in which the public would be exposed to the virus naturally. Scott Atlas resigned earlier this month.
âAs far as those people that are a little hesitant, I would say donât worry about the safety of this,â Eplee told News-Press NOW. âThis has been very studied, itâs gone through the traditional phase one through three trial process.â