A bill that would have banned vaccine passports was scuttled in committee last week.
Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) introduced AB 327 in January to ban programs that would require proof of inoculation.
“We haven't gotten a hearing for it, unfortunately, and that's not a good thing,” Kiley told the Southern California Record. “It deserves at least to get a hearing but at this time it looks like they're not going to hear the bill this year.”
The bill would have prohibited state agencies, local governments, and any other state governmental authority from adopting or enforcing any order, ordinance, policy, regulation, rule, or similar measure that requires an individual to provide, as a condition of receiving any service or entering any place, documentation regarding the individual’s vaccination status for any COVID-19 vaccine administered under an emergency use authorization.
“There was time to hear the bill before the legislative session ends but the committee just decided not to,” Kiley said.
AB 327 was set to be heard by the Assembly Privacy Committee last week but the Legislature’s leaders suddenly transferred it to the Health Committee whose chair promptly announced the bill wouldn't get a vote, according to Kiley. The Assembly Health Committee Chair is Democrat Jim Wood.
“It just shows that the legislature again isn't willing to do its job and consider these important issues,” Kiley said.
A desire to return to normalcy is motivating some companies to initiate programs that require evidence of inoculation against COVID-19, according to media reports.
“There's been some talk in terms of allowing people to show vaccine verification for public events and the university systems have talked about it too,” Kiley said. “I would think that the legislature would have to enact a law for vaccine passports to happen but the governor might just decide to do it on his own.”
The American Civil Liberties Union stated its concerns online that requiring proof of immunization is a violation of privacy and could exacerbate existing inequalities.
“Given the enormous difficulty of creating a digital passport system, and the compromises and failures that are likely to happen along the way, we are wary about the side effects and long-term consequences it could have,” said ACLU senior policy analyst Jay Stanley. “We will be closely watching developments in this area.
Kiley added that if the bill is reintroduced, it would be next year.
“Although you can always try to bring something up a little later in the process, it's more difficult,” he said. “So, the bill is probably not going to be heard this year.”