Attorney General Jeff Landry has filed a lawsuit against a recent mandate that would require companies with 100 or more employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Landry filed that lawsuit on Friday, challenging the legality of the new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule. The state joins Texas, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Utah in the lawsuit.
According to the mandate employees will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 4, 2022 or get tested for the virus weekly.
The new government rules issued by the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) took effect Thursday. OSHA says companies that fail to comply could face penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation.
The new requirements were first previewed by President Joe Biden in September as part of a six-pronged plan to combat COVID-19 in the fall and winter months.
The Attorney General has also filed suit to halt the vaccine mandate for federal contractors and mere hours after the Biden Administration issued its Emergency Temporary Standard implementing the mandate through OSHA.
“Just when you think Joe Biden cannot possibly abuse his power any more, he then utilizes his government bureaucrats to threaten private employers,” said Attorney General Landry. “This latest Biden overreach is an egregious attack on the liberties and freedoms our great nation was built upon. I trust our Petition for Review will be granted by the Fifth Circuit, and I look forward to showing them the many statutory and constitutional reasons why the Court must halt implementation of the OSHA rule,” added Attorney General Landry. “I will not waver in standing up for our State and her people – fighting to prevent the government from forcing medical procedures upon our citizens.”
A group of senators are also hoping to nullify the recent mandate announced by the Biden Administration.
Louisiana Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy have added their names to a list of 40 senators in support of a Congressional Review Act.
LABI President and CEO Stephen Waguespack released the following statement on the Biden Administration's updated vaccine mandate for private companies with more than 100 employees.
Waguespack says that he encourages vaccination but believes the Biden administration's mandate is a display of governmental overreach.
"LABI has encouraged voluntary vaccinations from the beginning, and that hasn't changed. I've been vaccinated, and I would encourage you and your family to consult with your doctor about getting the shot as well. Getting vaccinated is the quickest way to end this pandemic and keep our communities safe from COVID-19. However, the Biden administration utilizing OSHA to mandate that employers track their employee's vaccination status is an alarming display of governmental overreach. These rules will place a massive amount of cost, confusion and liability on companies at a time where workers are in short supply, the supply chain is in chaos and Main Street is still recovering from the economic shutdown of 2020. It's not a private company's job to be the vaccine police. We strongly urge the administration to swiftly reverse course and instead pursue a more market-based approach to enhance vaccination awareness and utilization."
According to the Associated Press, the Biden administration says it is confident its requirement will withstand the challenges, but legal experts are divided over which side is likely to prevail.
Several businesses also joined the lawsuits filed Friday, saying they don't want to insert themselves into their employees' health care decisions.
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