Lawmakers Friday unveiled a “first-in-the-nation” bill requiring all businesses in California to ensure that all their workers are vaccinated against COVID-19.
Assembly Bill 1993 would require workplaces and employers of all sizes to verify that their workers – both employees and independent contractors – are fully immunized against the COVID-19 virus.
If it passes both houses and is signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the law would take effect on January 1, 2023.
“The pathway to endemic is through vaccines – and to get there, Californians need consistency and certainty,” Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) said in a statement.
Wicks described the proposed law as the first such legislation in the nation.
“People have experienced so much whiplash over the past couple years when it comes to ever-changing guidelines in the workplace. Workers are craving stability, and vaccines are the key to making that happen,” Wicks said.
AB 1993 would require new hires of a business to have at least one shot by their first day on the job, and the second within 45 days. The bill includes no option for a testing alternative unless an employee qualifies for a medical or religious exemption.