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One to Keep An Eye On: AB 1993 (California)


Legislation that was introduced in the California Legislature on February 10th would make it a requirement that both public and private employers in the state require employees and independent contractors get the coronavirus vaccine as a condition of employment.

Under the terms of AB 1993, if approved, the vaccine mandate would go into effect on January 1, 2023 and would remain in place until the Centers for Disease Control determined that coronavirus vaccines were no longer necessary for the health and safety of individuals.

Notably, the bill does provide an exemption for those workers with a medical condition, disability, or those with sincerely held religious beliefs.

Readers will recall that the U.S. Supreme Court had recently struck down a vaccine mandate for large scale employers.  Following that ruling, it was speculated that states (or cities, counties, etc.) could step in and implement vaccine mandates that might survive judicial scrutiny.  Granted, AB 1993 was only recently introduced and is not law.  However, given how California has handled the coronavirus pandemic over the past few years, I would expect AB 1993 to eventually be signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.  I suppose the thing to keep an eye on right now is whether the language of AB 1993 will be amended or altered to secure enough votes for passage.


For a copy of the legislation:  https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1993

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