Rep. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) | Press photo
Rep. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) | Press photo
State Rep. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) isn’t letting up in his crusade against vaccine passports.
“Vaccines are a personal medical choice and those that do not take it should not be excluded or stigmatized,” Chesney recently posted on Facebook. “Vaccine passports should not be a requirement for Illinoisans. This would not only be an infringement on the liberties and freedom of Illinoisans, but also a violation of our constituents’ medical privacy.”
As part of his outrage, Chesney previously filed House Bill 4081, which seeks to establish “that a unit of local government or the state may not require a person to have a vaccine credential or show a vaccine credential before the person enters a public event or public venue.”
To date, at least 19 states have initiated legislation or issued executive orders banning or severely restricting the use of vaccine passports and prohibiting discrimination based on vaccine status. In the wake of Chesney filing his bill, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he does not support requiring a vaccine passport.
Still, Chesney isn’t taking anything for granted.
“Whenever we find our state following in the footsteps of Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, we should turn around and do the opposite course of action,” he said in a post to his website. “Unfortunately, some Illinoisans are pushing for Vaccine Passports in Cuomo’s example. This week, the Cubs and White Sox both announced they would be designating areas for fully vaccinated fans, while Chicago also announced a concert series for fully vaccinated residents only.”
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