SEN. KOLKHORST FILES BILLS TO END COVID-19 MANDATES
State Senator Lois Kolkhorst has filed a series of bills to end and reform former COVID-19 restrictions.
(courtesy Office of Lois Kolkhorst)
Senate Bills 1024, 1025 and 1026 seek to codify executive actions taken by Governor Greg Abbott and expand on measures from the 2021 legislative session addressing the outcomes of COVID-19 mandates.
Kolkhorst said these bills are meant to end the “ineffective and crushing restrictions on our personal liberties that we saw during COVID-19.” She said the legislation “is aimed at preventing future repeats of these controversial public health measures.”
SB 1024 sets in place protections established by Abbott through executive orders in 2021, prohibiting employer COVID-19 mandates and governmental entities from mandating vaccinations or requiring individuals to wear masks.
SB 1025 freezes in place the current vaccination schedule for schools and puts the legislature in charge of all changes to future vaccination schedules. It also will prevent the COVID-19 vaccine from being included on the Texas Minimum State Vaccine Requirements for students at elementary or secondary schools, and it also would prohibit institutions of higher education from requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of enrollment.
SB 1026 would permanently ban requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination by employers, governments, schools and colleges. The bill also prohibits licensed facilities from prioritizing or discriminating against patients for treatment based on their COVID-19 vaccination status.
In 2021, Kolkhorst passed SB 25 to allow for the right of certain residents to designate an essential caregiver for in-person visitation at long-term care facilities. Senate Joint Resolution 19 codified the bill as a constitutional amendment, which was passed by 87 percent of voters in an amendment election. SB 968 prohibited government entities from requiring vaccine passports from its employees or consumers.
Good job Senator!!! The whole Covid event was a test to see how much control the government can place on us, scare people for no reason, make billions for pharmaceuticals and the crooked politicians connected to them….the list goes on. All sorts of evidence showing up about the adverse effects of the vaccines. And they want to force you to inject that poison into your children???? Thank You Senator. Need more of you.
The government ALREADY has control of your life. There is no need for a test. Over 7 million people worldwide died as a result of the virus. It would be complete lunacy to believe there was some sort of strange, convoluted intentional conspiracy. And no one forced you or anyone else to get the vaccine; it was merely an educated suggestion. My doctor asks me every time I have a check-up if I want the flu vaccine. I refuse. My decision. My doctor cannot make me get the flu vaccine.
If I could, I would propose an amendment to these bills that proclaim an end to COVID-19 restrictions include a statement from the State of Texas that we call for an end to the application of Section 265 of Title 42. If the COVID pandemic is over, and we need state legislation to prevent local communities from enacting safety protocols, then we should cease applying pandemic-related policies to lawful asylum seekers.
That’s fine, so long as we start enforcing our current immigration laws and deport everyone who is here illegally. I am for legal immigration but we are a country of laws. A country that no longer enforces its laws ceases to be a safe country. If we can’t enforce our laws, we will become like the countries everyone is fleeing from.
Thank you, Lois!! A voice of reason and logic!
Now that’s some legislation I can appreciate. Good work Senator and staff. Let’s keep Texas Texas.