LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM REP. TIM MILLER - DISTRICT 17-A

Vaccine Mandates from Governor Walz   

On Wednesday of this week, Governor Tim Walz announced that state government employees must be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. This new mandate is extremely troubling to say the least. For months we heard from the governing establishment in St. Paul that there would be no vaccine passports or mandates. That has clearly changed.

However, this is exactly the type of behavior that Governor Walz has routinely engaged in throughout the course of this pandemic. The Governor says one thing and does another. He said he was only going to shut down the state for two weeks, but those two weeks became months. His thoughts on vaccines seem to “evolve” in a similar manner.

The people of Minnesota need to be free to make their own decisions on this issue. If you want a vaccine, then you should get a vaccine. If you do not want a vaccine, then you should not be forced to take a vaccine. This is the basic and essential principle of medical choice. Unfortunately, many people’s jobs may hang in the balance because this idea is being totally abandoned.

Another alarming aspect of this new mandate is the disregard for medical privacy. Adherence to this mandate will require individuals to disclose private medical information to their employer. This is outrageous. Our country has long maintained strict laws regarding medical privacy. Now, these laws are being disregarded. Medical privacy seems to be another casualty of this pandemic, and no one seems to care.

When the heavy hand of government is given almost unlimited authority, do not be surprised when it exercises that authority.

Tim Miller