Gov. DeSantis, Florida GOP push vaccine exemptions, school mask lawsuits

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Republicans connected Monday debuted a sweeping acceptable of proposals to combat coronavirus information precautions successful the state, outlining measures that would fto workers opt retired of vaccine mandates and let parents to writer schools with masking requirements.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the GOP leaders of the authorities House and Senate formally elaborate their docket up of adjacent week's peculiar league gathering of the legislature.

The bundle of proposals, dubbed the “Keep Florida Free" agenda, comes arsenic DeSantis wages a run against microorganism rules from section governments and the White House, raising his prominence successful the Republican enactment arsenic helium runs for reelection and toward a imaginable 2024 statesmanlike bid.

“At the extremity of the time we privation radical to marque informed decisions for themselves, but we've got to halt bossing radical around. We've got to halt the coercion, we've got to halt trying to browbeat people,” said DeSantis of microorganism precautions.

Among different things, the Republican measures would barroom backstage businesses from having coronavirus vaccine mandates unless they let exemptions for aesculapian reasons, spiritual beliefs, impervious of immunity based connected a anterior COVID-19 infection, regular investigating and an statement to deterioration protective gear. Private employers would beryllium taxable to fines up to $50,000 for firing a idiosyncratic without offering the exemptions.

Another proviso successful the GOP docket would let parents to writer schoolhouse districts with mask mandates, intensifying a spat betwixt counties and DeSantis implicit specified rules. The governor's medication has antecedently docked the salaries of schoolhouse committee members who defied a authorities prohibition connected disguise requirements successful classrooms and slashed wide backing to districts that received a national assistance to offset the authorities penalties.

Republicans are besides pushing to retreat Florida from the national Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which past week issued a caller COVID-19 vaccine requirement for employees astatine businesses with 100 workers oregon more. The regularisation is acceptable to spell into effect Jan. 4 and has already sparked ineligible challenges from much than two-dozen Republican-led states, including Florida.

Lawmakers successful the GOP-controlled Florida statehouse are acceptable to reconvene Nov. 15 to instrumentality up the legislation.

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