Rep. Andrew Chesney | Facebook
Rep. Andrew Chesney | Facebook
Rep. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) is advocating for a bill that would prohibit higher education institutions in Illinois from requiring students to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of enrollment.
Chesney filed House Bill 4106 on June 28 upon learning that students attending Illinois colleges and universities, including the University of Illinois, will have to show proof of the vaccination in order to return to classes that are held in person this fall, his website stated.
“I call for these colleges and universities to reverse these policy decisions and to quit using a global pandemic our nation is recovering from as an excuse to stifle voices on-campus in Illinois this Fall,” Chesney wrote in a June 29 Facebook post. “While Illinois has struggled in recent years to retain higher education students in state, this new mandate flies in the face of opposite policies enacted across the country.”
Chesney wants House Bill 4106 to be considered during an upcoming special session, according to his website.
While Chesney believes getting the vaccine should be encouraged, he said the school mandate places Illinois “at a competitive disadvantage in retention of college students.”
He asserts that students and families will see the vaccination requirement as a form of censorship and discriminatory to individuals with certain health conditions.
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