Arizona Fails to Ban 'Vaccine Passports'

Arizona lawmakers failed to pass a resolution to ban “vaccine passports” this week.

House Bill 2190 would have prohibited businesses from asking for proof of vaccination:

“A business entity doing business in this state [Arizona] may not require a person to disclose to the business entity or a third-party online application whether the person has or has not received a COVID-19 vaccine or a vaccine to address any variant of COVID-19 as a condition for receiving any service, product or admission to an event or venue.”

The bill would have also prevented universities, county, local, and state governments from asking people to disclose their proof of vaccination.

The bill, however, would not prevent healthcare workers from requiring vaccination information, but healthcare workers would not be allowed to deny service based on vaccination information.

The legislation failed on a 16-13 vote. According to Arizona’s Capitol Media Services, GOP state Sen. T.J. Shope voted with Democrats in killing the bill.

“I believe in private property rights,” Shope told the news service. “I believe in the rights of the sole proprietor, the barber who may be immunocompromised who cannot get a vaccine who would just want to put a sign up in the front of their shop.”

The bill comes at a time when the country is already seeing growing disagreement on vaccine passports. Several Republican-led states have already banned such passports citing they infringe on a person’s right to privacy.

Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott both already signed executive orders banning vaccine passports. In Iowa, the state’s legislature passed a bill earlier this month diminishing such a mandate.

Arizona GOP Gov. Doug Ducey also signed an executive order in April curtailing state and local governments from requiring vaccination proof upon entry to an area.

“The residents of our state should not be required by the government to share their private medical information,” Ducey said.

The bill, as it stands, would have made it a law banning proof of vaccination as opposed to the executive order, which serves as a guideline.