Proposed South Carolina law would punish asking about vaccine status with jail

A new law proposed in the South Carolina Statehouse would make it a crime for anyone, including your employer, to ask you about your vaccination status.

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Under the bill, the crime would be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $14,000 or up to one year in jail.

“The government has no place in making you or telling you to take the vaccination, or threatening your livelihood if you don’t,” state Rep. Will Chumley, a co-sponsor of the bill, told WHNS. Chumley said he believes a large part of the current labor shortage in the U.S. is a result of vaccine mandates, and believes that this law will send a message, WHNS reported.

State Rep. Mike Burns is spearheading the proposed bill and told WYFF the new law would help protect employees because employers would not be allowed to ask about vaccination status.

The bill would also apply to asking for proof of vaccination for a concert or large event, WYFF reported.

Jeremy Summerlin, a labor law attorney in South Carolina, told WHNS there would be a lot of challenges to enforcing this bill, especially in the case of hospitals that need to follow federal mandates. “There are so many other things wrong right now, so many ordinary people hurting, so many better uses of time, than wasting it on a state law that would prosecute anyone who asks someone if they’re vaccinated,” Summerlin told WHNS.

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