The Michigan House Workforce, Trades and Talent committee held hearings last week to begin the debate on a bill that would ban companies from discriminating against an employee who refuses to receive vaccinations.

According to reporting by the Detroit News, this bill specifically would also “stop employers from disclosing an unvaccinated individual's status or requiring an individual to indicate their unvaccinated status through a sort of mark or symbol”.

State Rep. Beth Griffin, a Republican from Mattawan who Chairs the Committee believes that Michigan businesses are being done "a monumental disservice" because they have only heard from one side of the vaccine debate.  She went on to say:

"Our purpose today is to communicate the messaging that thousands of employees across the state have spoken loudly that they do not think a business should not have the power to force an employee to put something into their body”

There were doctors who testified in front of the committee that the “vaccines did not eliminate or even decrease transmissibility among the vaccinated and raised concerns about the side effects of the vaccine”.

Michigan Chamber of Commerce CEO Rich Studley tweeted "The Michigan Chamber is opposed to this legislation…Private sector decisions about health & safety in the workplace should be made by business owners, not politicians."

Brad Williams, vice president for the Detroit Regional Chamber stated:

"This represents the type of big government overreach many of the proponents of this legislation have long railed against in attempts to implement a one-size-fits-all solution to the thousands of business across the state…There are good employers requiring vaccines and masks. There are good employers who are leaving the choice to individuals.”

As a conservative, I have a problem with governments dictating to private companies what they should do or not do.  Just like I was against the State of Michigan imposing their will on private companies when they told them people could not smoke in their bars and restaurants.  

Interesting to note that during the smoking debates the left stated that companies should not be able to make their own decisions when it comes to smoking in their establishments.  Now with this banning debate, they are supporting and celebrating that companies should be able to make their own decisions.

That was and is pure hypocrisy.  Would banning the banning also be hypocrisy if you were against the state government banning smoking in Michigan bars and restaurants?

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