Partisan divide on COVID policy widens in state legislatures

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – In Democratic-led Washington state, conscionable 4 lawmakers were contiguous successful the 98-member House this week arsenic they convened a mostly distant league with an abundance of caution. Anyone moving determination is required to beryllium tested for COVID-19 3 days a week and amusement impervious of vaccination — including a booster changeable — to measurement onto the House floor.

By contrast, Missouri's Republican-led Legislature began a afloat in-person league with nary COVID-19 screening astatine the Capitol and nary request to beryllium vaccinated oregon deterioration masks. One week into their session, lawmakers already person filed astir 3 twelve bills banning, discouraging oregon providing exemptions from vaccination requirements.

The differing approaches item a persistent partisan spread successful pandemic argumentation arsenic states statesman a 3rd twelvemonth of legislative sessions amid a microorganism outbreak that galore had assumed would beryllium waning but is alternatively surging to adjacent highest levels of hospitalizations due to the fact that of the omicron variant.

As lawmakers successful immoderate Democratic-led states conscionable remotely due to the fact that of renewed COVID-19 concerns, their counterparts successful galore Republican-led legislatures are opening their 2022 sessions connected a quest to outlaw vaccine mandates and rotation backmost pandemic precautions.

“We person successful effect pulled into 2 antithetic camps with 2 antithetic views of reality,” said Georges Benjamin, enforcement manager of the American Public Health Association, who described the “intellectual schism” arsenic “very disturbing.”

“In galore ways, the information astir vaccines, masks and each these things is benignant of bearing retired arsenic a proxy for the relation of government,” Benjamin said.

The governmental divisions that began implicit government-ordered shutdowns, societal distancing and disguise mandates successful the aboriginal stages of the pandemic person progressed arsenic governments person shifted to vaccinations arsenic a superior means of a combating a microorganism that has killed much than 835,000 successful the U.S.

Republican authorities opposing vaccine mandates has been spurred mostly by rules from President Joe Biden's medication requiring COVID-19 vaccinations oregon regular investigating for ample and medium-sized employers, wellness attraction providers and national contractors. Many Democratic governors besides person issued vaccine oregon investigating requirements for authorities workers, heath attraction facilities, schools oregon child-care providers.

Though not ever preventing illness, vaccines person proved effectual astatine decreasing terrible COVID-19 cases starring to hospitalization oregon death. Republican objections are rooted mostly successful libertarian ideology.

“To person thing injected into your assemblage arsenic a information of employment lest you beryllium fired oregon not hired, good it’s not American," said Missouri authorities Rep. Brian Seitz, a Republican from Branson. "It tends toward socialism, communism and immoderate different -ism you privation to speech about.”

Seitz has filed bills barring vaccine mandates for wellness workers, prohibiting governments from doing concern with entities requiring vaccinations and creating an idiosyncratic close to garbage to beryllium vaccinated and deterioration masks. Other Missouri bills would barroom COVID-19 vaccine mandates successful schools and clasp employers liable for immoderate injuries arising from their vaccination requirements.

Similar bills are pending elsewhere. After passing authorities past November making it easier for employees to garbage to comply with vaccine mandates, immoderate blimpish Republicans successful the Kansas Legislature present privation to spell further and prohibit employers from imposing specified mandates.

Vaccine authorities has sparked interior divisions successful immoderate Republican-led states.

Legislation connected a fast-track successful the Indiana House would sharply bounds COVID-19 vaccination requirements successful workplaces, though Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and GOP Senate leaders person opposed the measure arsenic wrongly interfering with backstage concern decisions. Some Republican lawmakers successful Ohio besides person continued pushing for a prohibition connected vaccine mandates, contempt a informing from chap GOP Gov. Mike DeWine that helium would veto the legislation.

The question of whether to prohibit businesses from mandating vaccines besides is expected to beryllium a blistery taxable erstwhile the Oklahoma Legislature convenes adjacent month.

“The contented is simply a hard 1 to equilibrium for people," said Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, an Oklahoma City Republican. “I judge precise overmuch successful the close of the individual, and I besides judge precise overmuch successful the close of businesses to behaviour concern arsenic they spot fit.”

Though it received a proceeding Tuesday, authorities from a Maine Republican to prohibit mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for 5 years faces steep likelihood successful that state's Democratic-led Legislature. The proceeding was held via video league — a signifier that appears much communal this twelvemonth successful Democratic-led states than Republican ones.

The 400-member New Hampshire House convened past week successful a edifice expo halfway alternatively of its enclosure to dispersed retired lawmakers, but the Republican bulk refused to let distant participation. At slightest 2 lawmakers tested affirmative for COVID-19 aft the archetypal days of session.

Former New Hampshire House Speaker Dick Hinch was among 8 lawmakers successful assorted states to dice from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. More than 500 authorities lawmakers person been sickened by the virus, according to an Associated Press tally, though the existent fig astir surely is higher due to the fact that immoderate legislatures haven't publically confirmed cases.

In Democratic-led Massachusetts, the capitol has yet to reopen to the nationalist aft legislative leaders shuttered the gathering to each but lawmakers, immoderate unit and the property astatine the opening of the pandemic. Since then, the Legislature has mostly gone online. Legislative leaders person announced plans to inch toward a reopening by requiring impervious of vaccination — oregon amusement a aesculapian oregon spiritual exemption — to enactment successful the building.

In Vermont's Democratic-led Legislature, 1 of the archetypal acts of 2022 was to authorize distant sessions due to the fact that of spiking COVID-19 cases. Lawmakers besides rapidly passed a measurement allowing municipal governments and schoolhouse districts to walk budgets without in-person meetings.

In Washington state, Republicans voted against the COVID-19 protocols adopted by Democratic-led legislative committees. While allowing much members connected the level than the House, the Senate argumentation caps in-person attendance astatine 15 of the 49 senators. The remainder are relegated to participating remotely. Senators and unit indispensable trial antagonistic for COVID-19 earlier entering Senate rooms, careless of whether they are vaccinated. Since Friday, astatine slightest 5 senators person tested positive.

The extremity of the restrictions “is to marque the cognition of the Senate arsenic harmless arsenic possible,” said Washington Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig.

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Associated Press writers Tom Davies successful Indianapolis; John Hanna successful Topeka, Kansas; Steve LeBlanc successful Boston; Rachel La Corte successful Olympia, Washington; Sean Murphy successful Oklahoma City; Holly Ramer successful Concord, New Hampshire; Wilson Ring successful Montpelier, Vermont; Andrew Welsh-Huggins successful Columbus, Ohio; and Patrick Whittle successful Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.

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