Referred to: The Health, Human Services and Housing Committee (Chairman Uchitelle and Legislators Corcoran, Erner, Lopez, Nolan, Petit, and Stewart)

Legislators Chris Hewitt and Kevin Roberts offer the following:

WHEREAS, the freedom to make personal health choices is one of the most fundamental human rights protected under the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, individuals may have to refuse for themselves, and as parents for their children, the COVID-19 shot for one or more of the following reasons: established medical conditions; previous infection and recovery; preference for therapeutics; prevention of potential adverse events; religious beliefs; intolerance to vaccine ingredients; previous anaphylactic and other reactions; and

WHEREAS, informed consent is the foundation of ethical practice in medicine, consisting of three essential elements: access to complete information, patient comprehension, and voluntariness; and

WHEREAS, with the adoption of Resolution No. 297 dated June 21, 2022, the Ulster County Legislature agreed that corporations are not people and should not be able to use money to influence our government; and

WHEREAS, reports have shown that Big Pharma has made astronomical profits on their COVID- 19 shots and medicines in 2021 and 2022, with Pfizer alone generating $35 billion net profits on its COVID-19 related products, and BioNTech and Moderna profiting $20 billion each; and

WHEREAS, private and government entities across the U.S. and around the world mandated COVID-19 shots with punitive restrictions on individual freedom, commerce, employment, and medical care for non-compliance; and

WHEREAS, the federal government intended to develop an emergency temporary standard (ETS) directed at private sector businesses with one hundred (100) or more employees to require their employees to either receive the COVID-19 shots or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work; and

WHEREAS, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals found that legal challenges to the ETS were “likely to succeed on the merits,” resulting in the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA") suspending its activities related to the implementation and enforcement of the ETS; and

WHEREAS, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance around Covid-19 has changed many times since March 2020, including the most recent change to the guidance on April 19, 2023 that no longer recommends the original monovalent mRNA vaccine in the United States; and

WHEREAS, a national trend to compromise citizens’ individual right to choose is an infringement upon all progress made in relation to individual freedom of choice; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, the Ulster County Legislature expresses its opposition to policies of mandatory COVID-19 shot by any local, state, or federal government that affect citizens’ rights to make their own health care choices, or that affect parents’ rights to make health care decisions in the best interest of their children; and, be it further

RESOLVED, the Ulster County Legislature continues to encourage all citizens who make the individual choice to not get shots against the COVID-19 virus to follow the most recently updated CDC guidelines; and, be it further

RESOLVED, the Ulster County Legislature appeals to private businesses, institutions of education and religion, medical service providers, and non-government organizations throughout Ulster County to be considerate and accommodating regarding the vaccination choice of their employees, students, teachers, members, patients, and customers without penalty or discrimination; and, be it further

RESOLVED, the Clerk of the Ulster County Legislature shall forward copies of this resolution to the Ulster County Executive, the Ulster County Commissioner of Health, members of the United States Congress representing Ulster County, New York Governor Hochul, and all Ulster County elected Assemblymembers and Senators,

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                        NOES:    

Postponed in Committee: Health, Human Services and Housing on April 3, 2023

Defeated in Committee: Health, Human Services and Housing on May 3, 2023

Petition to Discharge successfully executed. 

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE