Harshbarger Introduces 'No Vaccine Passports for Americans Act'

Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) introduced the “No Vaccine Passports for Americans Act” Tuesday in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The legislation would ban any vaccine passport or similar measure which tracks which Americans who have and have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus. In addition, it would also prohibit the United States from working with third parties, such as airlines, to implement certain restrictions.

“Vaccine passports are a restriction on individual liberties, period,” Harshbarger said. “I oppose these radical policies. That’s why I introduced the No Vaccine Passports for Americans Act to bar the already overreaching federal government from requiring vaccine passports.”

The bill “implements a five-year ban on government vaccine mandates for vaccines first authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through Emergency Use Authorization,” according to an online announcement from Harshbarger’s website. It also “prohibits vaccine discrimination in employment, public accommodations, public transportation, or access to federal property.”
“Our society needs to return to normal as soon as possible- our children have suffered through school closures, our businesses have suffered from strict lockdowns, and our economy is in desperate need of employees who will return to work,” Harshbarger added. “Banning vaccine passports will expedite the return to normal.”

In May, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced legislation to “stop the federal government from establishing COVID-19 passports or working with third parties to establish their own vaccine passports, such as airlines or other global entities.” In addition, that legislation also “imposes a five-year prohibition on any government vaccine mandate for vaccines first authorized by the FDA through an Emergency Use Authorization.”

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