The House of Delegates will now consider a bill forbidding requirements to show proof of vaccination in particular public places, even though testimony revealed such circumstances are very rare in West Virginia and maybe apply only to some entertainers who have such requirements when their tours book venues.
This comes a day after a committee passed to the full House a bill that would forbid mask mandates in local school systems while also restricting covid-19 testing requirements in schools.
On the other hand, a delegate drew an enthusiastic round of applause from “freedom loving patriots” for a floor speech pleading that one element of the covid-19 pandemic needs to be loosened rather than restricted: the ability of doctors to recommend ivermectin, the anti-parasite medication actually meant to treat roundworms and threadworms.
Over the course of the pandemic, state officials have attributed 6,250 deaths of West Virginia residents to covid-19.
West Virginia is in the bottom quarter of states in terms of the percentage of population considered fully vaccinated.
The House Judiciary Committee, for the second day in a row, took up a bill that aims to push back against health precautions associated with the covid-19 pandemic.
House Bill 4012 would forbid government entities at the state or local level, higher education institutions or hospitals from requiring proof of vaccination as a condition for entering. The bill would invite people who believe they are being harmed by such policies to sue.
The Judiciary Committee discussed and then passed the bill, which next goes to the full House of Delegates.
Delegate Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, asked the committee’s attorney for any examples of proof of vaccination requirements.
Fluharty: “Do you have any examples of any hospitals in West Virginia, including WVU, that are requiring this as a condition for entering the premises?
Counsel: “I do not.”
Fluharty: “OK, same goes for state or local government. Do you have any examples where that’s required to enter the premises in the state of West Virginia?”
Counsel: “The answer is no, and the answer to your third question is also likely to be no.”
Fluharty: “OK, so you can’t provide me with one example of where this is required to enter the premises from a local government, hospital or institution of higher learning?”
Counsel: “That is correct.”
Fluharty: “That’s all I have. No further questions.”
Delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, zeroed in on the question of whether performers at government-owned concert venues might have vaccination requirements for audiences.
Performers requiring proof of vaccination or a negative covid test to attend shows have included the jam band Phish, alternative rock’s The Killers, alt-country star Jason Isbell and more.
“They’re putting on a show and that’s what they ask,” Pushkin said. “If you do this, well, these tours won’t come here. Most of the larger venues are owned by the municipalities or by the university.”
He added, “It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous we’re sitting here wasting our time on this. Plenty of other things that can can focus on to actually help people instead of limiting opportunities for the state.”
Delegate Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, disagreed with that assessment.
“This is a good bill. We’ve seen the requirement for these vaccine passports starting to become a trend throughout different regions of the country. I think it’s a dangerous direction for society to head towards when you’re asked continually just to enter a restaurant where are your papers.”
The bill does not apply to restaurants.
Earlier, during a remarks portion of the full House’s floor session, Delegate Roger Conley made impassioned remarks to pass legislation to remove restrictions on prescribing ivermectin. He aimed his remarks at a crowd in the gallery he had introduced as “freedom loving patriots.”
Conley characterized the regular course of treatment as the administration of antivirals “and then stick me on the vent.”
“We have people being refused off-label drugs that we know are working. We have people that are asking for ivermectin,” said Conley, R-Wood, who also praised the use of hydroxychloroquine, an immunosuppressive drug and anti-parasite treatment.
Conley is the lead sponsor of eight bills, including: ban any and all mask mandates, ban any and all covid-19 vaccine mandates, eliminating state funding to any institution that requires covid-19 vaccinations as a requirement of employment, hold employers liable for damages relating to mandating covid-19 vaccines and to prohibit vaccine requirements as a condition of condition of being eligible for an organ transplant.
“This is why we as a body, we have to do something for these bills,” he said, winding toward the conclusion of a story about a covid-19 patient on a ventilator whose family wanted ivermectin as an alternative treatment.
“I’m not a doctor, but I’ve sure seen enough evidence that I know it does work. And I’ve sure seen enough evidence to know when you stick Remdesivir in ’em and you put ’em on the vent your odds of going home are very slim,” said Conley, the owner of Conley Manufacturing who was hospitalized with covid-19 in 2020.
He concluded, “The will of the people is for these bills to run. There is way too much importance with what we’re looking at for any single person or persons to stop the process, whether it’s in the governor’s office, or whether it’s in leadership or whether it’s a chairman, I don’t care. We have got to insist that these bills run. We have to start protecting the people of West Virginia.
“We have to have the courage. We have to have the backbone. We have blue states all across this nation finally starting to address this; we’re still not. We have to fix this. Please, please join me in trying to make sure we get this done.”
As Conley stopped speaking and took his seat, applause and whooping broke out from the gallery of onlookers above.
“The House will be in order. The House will be in order,” said Majority Whip Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson, who was presiding at the time.