Jacque bills target worship, vaccine rules

Posted at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, February 16, 2021

The Brillion News

MADISON - The state Senate passed a bill on Tuesday, February 16, that would guarantee citizens would be free to worship and would not be subjected to forced vaccination.

proposals, Senate Bills 4 and 7, were overwhelmingly supported by citizens at a public hearing last month.

Senator André Jacque, R-De Pere, was author of the two bills and said citizens have a fundamental right to expect that their Constitutionally-protected freedoms will be respected by officials at all levels of government - even in a pandemic.

“These two measures help ensure that government officials cannot use Covid-19 as an excuse to grab power at the expense of our liberties,” Jacque said. “A successful virus response requires time, communication, and trust, not heavy-handed big government mandates.”

The provisions of the two bills were also included as items within the COVID relief measure recently vetoed by Governor Tony Evers:

Senate Bill 4, passed by voice vote, provides that Public Health Officers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) are not able to require vaccination or require a person to show proof of vaccination for COVID-19.

A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll showed that over 60% of Americans polled did not believe their state should require that people get vaccinated before returning to work or school, much less forcing the general public. It has also been shown by European Union-funded research that countries where vaccination is mandatory do not usually reach better coverage than neighbor or similar countries where there is no legal obligation.

Jacque said that health care should not become coercive and people should not be forced to receive a shot, especially when individual health counter indications and religious or ethical concerns exist.

Jacque said that facilities like liquor stores and abortion clinics previously recognized by public health departments as essential businesses were being allowed to operate but churches and other places of worship were shut down. He said his bill would protect people’s right to freely assemble and worship.

The two measures now head to the State Assembly.