South Carolina Bill Would Penalize Businesses $7,500 Per Employee Fired over Vaccine Mandate

A proposed bill in the South Carolina legislature would essentially penalize private businesses in the state for each employee fired over a vaccine mandate, as it is designed to ultimately deter public and private employers from imposing such rules.

Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey’s proposal would essentially fine private companies that are forcing employees to get the shot, essentially sticking them with a roughly $7,500 tab per employee fired due to the rule. A subcommittee approved the bill last week, which is similar to a proposal passed in the House last year. However, this proposal “expands on the House’s bill by taxing private companies that terminate unvaccinated employees and prohibiting businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, medical facilities, retail stores, and entertainment venues, from denying access to unvaccinated people,” according to The State:

The Senate’s amendment to the bill, proposed by Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, would make private employers pay a surcharge for each of the next four years equal to 10 times the highest unemployment insurance tax rate, or $7,644, per employee they terminate or suspend for failing to comply with a company mandate.
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Massey’s proposal includes virtually all the same provisions the House passed last year, including a ban on public employer vaccine mandates, a prohibition on student vaccination requirements, a vaccine exemption for unvaccinated people who are pregnant or can prove they’ve had COVID-19 and a requirement that vaccine refusers terminated by private businesses are entitled to unemployment.

Massey, however, made it clear that he is not comfortable interfering in the practices of private businesses, but he feels as though they have been left with no choice.

“This is not a comfortable position for me. This is not somewhere that I would normally be, it’s not somewhere that I really enjoy being,” Massey said. “But I feel like I’ve been backed into a corner.”

“I feel like I’ve gotten to the point that I’m forced to do something,” he added. “If we don’t do something, there’s nobody else.”

The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce is vehemently against the proposal, appealing to the state’s “long and proud tradition of allowing private sector employers to run their businesses without excessive government interference.”

“Imposing a major tax increase on employers that are attempting to make decisions that they believe is in the best interest of their businesses would run directly counter to that principle,” Chamber President and CEO Bob Morgan stated.

Americans have continued to grapple with the reality of vaccine mandates, but the Supreme Court secured a major victory for roughly 84 million workers in January after striking down President Biden’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandate.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/02/22/south-carolina-bill-would-penalize-businesses-7500-per-employee-fired-over-vaccine-mandate/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=daily&utm_campaign=20220222

This should be a no brainer for ALL 50 states. Discrimination is illegal, wrong and evil.

The fine should be higher.

I live in a "right to work" state. An employer can fire you for any or no reason. I think it's stupid and bad business to fire your employees over a "vaccine", but it's their right. This is just "wokeness" from the right. Government needs to get out of private business.

Crusader wrote:I live in a "right to work" state.  An employer can fire you for any or no reason.  I think it's stupid and bad business to fire your employees over a "vaccine", but it's their right.  This is just "wokeness" from the right.  Government needs to get out of private business.

Businesses do not have a "right" to discriminate! Businesses cannot "fire" an employee because of their hair color, ethnicity, race, skin color, sexual preference etc. I disagree that employers have a "right" to fire employees who do not allow an experimental "Vaccine" to be put into their body. These employers will not be accountable/responsible should their "Vaccine" requirement go badly for the employee.

In the same way, employers cannot fire an employee simply because they don't like the person's ethnicity. That is blatant discrimination and is illegal.

RV wrote:

Crusader wrote:I live in a "right to work" state.  An employer can fire you for any or no reason.  I think it's stupid and bad business to fire your employees over a "vaccine", but it's their right.  This is just "wokeness" from the right.  Government needs to get out of private business.

Businesses do not have a "right" to discriminate! Businesses cannot "fire" an employee because of their hair color, ethnicity, race, skin color, sexual preference etc. I disagree that employers have a "right" to fire employees who do not allow an experimental "Vaccine" to be put into their body. These employers will not be accountable/responsible should their "Vaccine" requirement go badly for the employee.

In the same way, employers cannot fire an employee simply because they don't like the person's ethnicity. That is blatant discrimination and is illegal.

Agree with all the reasons above!   Vaccination status should never be a reason for being fired.  But the woke left have twisted businesses right to work/fire in their favor.   Businesses should have the right to fire you if your performance is not up to par, if you can't or won't do your job properly or if you don't possess a good work ethic.

Wokeness changed that though thus enabling people to cry 'discrimination' when they were fired when no discrimination actually existed.

RV wrote:

Crusader wrote:I live in a "right to work" state.  An employer can fire you for any or no reason.  I think it's stupid and bad business to fire your employees over a "vaccine", but it's their right.  This is just "wokeness" from the right.  Government needs to get out of private business.

Businesses do not have a "right" to discriminate! Businesses cannot "fire" an employee because of their hair color, ethnicity, race, skin color, sexual preference etc. I disagree that employers have a "right" to fire employees who do not allow an experimental "Vaccine" to be put into their body. These employers will not be accountable/responsible should their "Vaccine" requirement go badly for the employee.

In the same way, employers cannot fire an employee simply because they don't like the person's ethnicity. That is blatant discrimination and is illegal.

Who owns the business?  The person who invested all his blood, sweat, and money into it; or, the government?  

I'm here to say that, My business, MY rules.  Don't like 'em?  Take a hike.

I'm with @Crusader. Get government out of businesses. That's generally referred to that odd thing called "Fascism."

Companies also have a duty of care to all of their employees and customers.
Bringing in vaccine mandates ensures that duty of care.

If I had the choice between eating dinner at a cafe where they had strict vaccine rules and one where they did not care about my wellbeing, I would choose the first cafe.

Sprintcyclist wrote:Companies also have a duty of care to all of their employees and customers.
Bringing in vaccine mandates ensures that duty of care.

If I had the choice between eating dinner at a cafe where they had strict vaccine rules and one where they did not care about my wellbeing, I would choose the first cafe.

Vaccine mandates don't ensure anything but that employers want to control the lives of their employees. I assume you have heard that the vaccinated are still getting and spreading covid. What you put into your body is a personal decision.

Sprintcyclist wrote:Companies also have a duty of care to all of their employees and customers.
Bringing in vaccine mandates ensures that duty of care.

If I had the choice between eating dinner at a cafe where they had strict vaccine rules and one where they did not care about my wellbeing, I would choose the first cafe.

Private companies are not in the healthcare business. Many don't offer employees healthcare options. It's up to the employee to fund his/her own healthcare.

Government should not be in the healthcare business either. Government run healthcare is low-quality, long wait healthcare as evidenced for decades by the VA(Veteran's Administration), healthcare in Great Britain, healthcare in Canada.