MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Senate today passed legislation sponsored by Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) to protect Alabamians from a mandate that would require individuals to present a COVID-19 vaccine passport.

“Any demand by the government to require individuals to carry proof of COVID-19 vaccination strips them of the right to make basic choices for themselves and their families,” said Senator Orr. “The implementation of a mandatory vaccine passport is a direct infringement upon the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

“A vaccine passport system would give the government access to our private health information and would enable them to restrict our personal liberty and our ability to move around freely,” Orr said. “Say you decide not to take the COVID-19 vaccine and you want to go to the Iron Bowl this fall. With a vaccine passport system in place, you would be required to present your government-issued passport on your mobile device in order to enter the stadium. Without that passport, you would be denied entry to the game.”

“I applaud all who are involved in the creation and distribution of the various vaccines we now have to protect against COVID-19, and I am certainly glad that they are so readily available to Alabamians who may choose to receive one,” said Senator Larry Stutts (R-Sheffield), an OB-GYN. “However, individuals and families should be able to use their own discretion and make their own choices when it comes to being vaccinated; we cannot make those choices for anyone but ourselves.”

The bill unanimously passed the Senate and is headed to the House of Representatives for consideration.