DeSantis announces five-day special session to deal with COVID mandates
TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday made official his call for a special session next month, announcing that he will bring legislators to Tallahassee for five days to address a series of reforms to state law imposing new penalties on employers and governments that attempt to use vaccines and masks to protect people from the spread of the coronavirus.
Legislators will be asked to return Nov. 15-19, the same week they are already scheduled to be in the state Capitol for committee meetings.
In his lengthy proclamation, the governor did not specifically call for a ban on vaccine mandates but instead asked legislators to protect workers against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and address employer policies that force COVID-19 vaccination. He has said that could include punishing businesses, schools and governments that require employees to show proof of vaccination in the workplace by making businesses liable for any medical harm that results from a mandatory vaccination, and repealing liability protections from COVID-19-related claims if businesses impose vaccine mandates on their employees.
The governor also has said he wants legislators to allow parents to collect attorneys fees if they win a lawsuit against a school district for enacting illegal coronavirus restrictions, legislation clarifying the existing law that makes it illegal for governments and schools in Florida to mandate the vaccine and testing options for government employees, and expanded reemployment options for individuals who lose their jobs because they refuse to be vaccinated.
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