SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Assembly Bill 1993, which would require all California businesses to require their employees and independent contractors to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, is being halted by the author, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, Tuesday afternoon.
In a thread on social media, Wicks said, "Our priority during this pandemic has been to make sure all Californians are as safe as possible by following the data and science around public health — which is why California continues to have some of the lowest COVID case rates, deaths and injuries per capita."
She said she introduced AB 1993 because of the workers, employers, and public health experts who expressed the need for vaccine requirements, yet felt unable to make these changes on their own.
"We're now in a new & welcome chapter in this pandemic, with the virus receding for the moment. This provides for us the opportunity to work more collaboratively with labor and employers to address concerns raised by the bill," she said.
She's putting the bill on pause, for now, to "allow space for these conversations to continue and progress."
"While I’m disappointed in the opposition to our bill by public safety unions, it’s my hope that they'll ultimately come to the table to make sure all of their workers are vaccinated —& that every job sector in CA has the tools necessary to keep their workers safe from COVID," she said.
Republican Assemblymember Kevin Kiley, who has been an outspoken critic of the bill, took to social media to rejoice in the news.
"We've defeated AB 1993, the employer vaccine mandate," Kiley said. "The author just announced she will not move it forward."
