Texas City Council Votes to Prohibit Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines and Lockdowns
The Odessa City Council in Texas took a bold and historic action on Sept. 12 by voting to ban the enforcement of any COVID-19 mandates implemented by the state or federal government. This decision was made to protect the freedoms of its citizens.
The resolution, introduced by City Council Member Chris Hanie, received the support of six council members, while one member abstained.
“I’m asking you guys to … take a look at what was going on before all of this the last time that they shut everything down,” Mr. Hanie passionately expressed during Tuesday’s vote.
Mr. Hanie emphasized how previous mandates implemented during the pandemic had negatively impacted citizens, particularly oil workers who were unable to earn a living due to the lockdowns.
“We don’t want this again,” he asserted. “We make our living here on the oil field.”
Republican state Rep. Brian Harrison, former chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Trump administration, also expressed his support for the ban during the meeting.
“COVID vaccine mandates destroy medical freedom, they are not justified on public health grounds, they are inconsistent with informed consent, they have destroyed careers, and they have no place in the great and freedom-loving state of Texas,” Mr. Harrison passionately stated.
City Taking ‘Historic Action’
Mr. Harrison, reflecting on his time at HHS, shared that he and other officials had always prioritized the voluntary nature of COVID-19 vaccines.
“However, since then, you witnessed and I witnessed something that’s been heartbreaking and infuriating, which is that a program that we designed to save lives be turned into a program that destroys liberty and medical freedom,” he expressed.
Mr. Harrison is currently working to get his “Texas COVID Vaccine Freedom Act” (pdf) passed during special sessions in Texas. This bill aims to prohibit COVID-19 mandates for state and private entities.
“I hope that every city and county not just in Texas but everywhere, every state that has not yet protected the medical freedom of their citizens, that their eyes are turned to Odessa, Texas, tonight and to see the brave, bold, courageous, and I would say historic action that you’re taking here tonight, so I couldn’t be more proud to be here,” Mr. Harrison concluded.
Tuesday’s resolution (pdf), passed by city council members, acknowledges that citizens of Odessa and the state of Texas as a whole have suffered injustices due to overreaching government-imposed mandates during the pandemic.
‘Unquantifiable Damage’ to Citizens
The resolution further states that the citizens of Odessa have suffered unquantifiable damage, both mentally and financially, as a result of these government-imposed mandates. It emphasizes that mandates, such as masking and compulsory vaccination, violate the freedom and liberty guaranteed by the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Texas.
According to the proposal, the city will not enforce any COVID-19-related mandate that requires citizens to wear face masks, isolate at home, or forces businesses to alter or cease operations.
Furthermore, individuals cannot be compelled to get vaccinated in order to keep their jobs or enjoy the conveniences of the city if they choose not to receive the shots.
The proposal also prohibits any adverse action or penalty against residents who refuse to get vaccinated.
The vote on the COVID-19 mandate ban in Odessa comes at a time when COVID-19 cases are increasing in Texas.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...