HARRISBURG – Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) released the following statement regarding Governor Tom Wolf’s veto of Senate Bill 618, legislation that would prohibit the state from implementing vaccine passports and limit entities that receive taxpayer subsidies from requiring proof of vaccination:
“The governor had an opportunity to provide clarification for students, parents and every Pennsylvanian by signing Senate Bill 618. Unfortunately, this fall will be met with confusion and chaos as students in K-12 through higher education will head back to school with little guidance on whether or not the COVID-19 vaccine will be a requirement. Instead of showing that no one will be denied service or an education because of a decision not to take a COVID-19 vaccine, students and parents will be forced to make difficult decisions in less than two months as more schools begin forced vaccinations.
“While this pandemic is hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime event, we have seen that broad powers implemented by the Secretary of Health lead to serious unintended consequences for people I represent, especially those along the Maryland border. The voters showed us last month that they want collaboration between elected officials, not one person to wield all of the power and make drastic decisions affecting lives and livelihoods.”
You can listen to Senator Phillips-Hill’s comments on Senate Bill 618 during the Senate debate here.