On Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott released a statement notifying employees that a hotline has been established to report “illegal vaccine mandates.”
Abbott took to Twitter stating, “Since day one, Texas has taken a stand against the federal government’s unconstitutional COVID-19 vaccine mandates. We have now created a hotline for Texas employees to report illegal vaccine mandates. The COVID-19 vaccine will always be voluntary & never forced in Texas.”
Since day one, Texas has taken a stand against the federal government’s unconstitutional COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
We have now created a hotline for Texas employees to report illegal vaccine mandates.
The COVID-19 vaccine will always be voluntary & never forced in Texas. pic.twitter.com/OpOIjKnuGF
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) December 9, 2021
Included in his tweet was a link to .pdf from the Texas Workforce Commission, which stated “The federal government has sown confusion among employers and employees by issuing a series of COVID-19 vaccine mandates of dubious legality. But the law in Texas is clear on this point: An employer cannot impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on an employee for an exemption for religious, personal or medical reasons.”
Abbott’s statement went on to say, “My Executive Order clearly states that no employer can mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for an employee with a religious, personal, or medical exemption. We have now created a hotline for employees to report illegal vaccine mandates in Texas. While I encourage Texans to get the COVID-19 vaccine, it will always be voluntary, and never forced, in Texas, and we are committed to ensuring Texans’ livelihoods are not jeopardized by federal overreach.”
The statement went on to say, “Texas employees can call (800) 939-6631 or email vaccine_job_loss@twc.texas.gov regarding concerns with vaccine mandates.TWC will refer verified tips to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.”
