WACO, TX — A new executive order banning vaccine mandates is signed in Texas. Governor Greg Abbott signed the order Monday, Oct. 11, going against the Biden Administration.
Gov. Abbott said he is in favor of the vaccine but said it should remain voluntary and should be up to choice. If businesses require a vaccine for their employees, it could be fined up to $1,000. Central Texas republicans agreed with Governor Abbott.
"I'm pro vaccines and believe in it but I'm against mandates and I think everyone is ready for the de-politicization of the vaccine and from the virus," Bradford Holland said.
McLennan County Democrats are concerned about how many more lives will be taken if Texas continues down this road. Last month, President Biden pushed out an executive order mandating the shot of all businesses with over 100 employees. Some call this a saving grace to help limit spread while others said it's a death wish for small businesses. The conflict comes down to one question:
- Who has the power — State or Federal?
Seth Chandler, a law professor at the University of Houston said it will come down to the courts.
"President Biden is going to win because as long as his federal law is constitutional, it's going to trump conflicting state law," Chandler said.
A bigger issue comes down to how this will affect taxpayers.
"A week ago if you fired someone because they wouldn't get vaccinated ... they were very unlikely to get unemployment insurance benefits," Chandler said. "Now it seems to me like the Texas Workforce Commission is pretty much obliged, to give people who are fired for failure to get vaccinated, unemployment insurance."
