The Texas Senate has passed several bills that aimed to prevent COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates across the state. The bills would prohibit local governments, state agencies, public universities, public schools, and anyone who receives public money, from implementing COVID-19 vaccination and mask requirements. The bills also prohibit discrimination based on vaccination status in employment and labor. These bills would only be for Covid-19 restrictions.

Governor Abbott has also refused to end his emergency Covid powers until the Legislature passes laws that would prohibit Covid-19 mandates. Governor Abbott made this an emergency item earlier this year.

Senate Bill 29 was passed by the Senate earlier in April. If passed, it would prohibit governmental entities from enforcing Covid-19 mask or vaccine mandates. It also prohibits governmental entities from closing down public schools, open-enrollment charter schools, private schools, and private businesses.

Senate Bill 1024 was passed by the Senate Committee last week. If passed, the bill would prohibit school districts, private schools, local governments, state agencies, counties, and universities from mandating or promoting Covid-19 vaccinations. SB 1024 would direct the Department of State Health Services to place on its website a “publicly accessible reporting system to track adverse events following the administration of a vaccine or booster dose of that vaccine.” Furthermore, it states that governmental entities, nor private entities that accept state money, could impose mask mandates. Local governments and school districts, under the bill, would not be able to impose Covid-19 vaccine mandates upon any student, staff, faculty, parent, etc.

“A health care facility may not refuse to provide health care services to an individual based on the individual’s vaccination status or post-transmission recovery of a communicable disease,” says the bill. This extends to employment discrimination based on vaccination status.

According to the Fort-Worth Star Telegram, SB 1024“also gives legislators the power to decide whether to add or remove vaccines from the list of those required to attend school in Texas.”

The bill would still allow the requirements of other vaccinations against diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, measles, meningococcal disease, mumps, pertussis, polio, rubella, tetanus, and varicella.

In a report by ABC, people are worried that this will apply to other vaccinations in the future against future diseases or shots that have not been developed yet.