On Monday, October 11, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA-40 (the “Order”) prohibiting vaccine mandates by any entity. The Order, which was effective upon issuance, states: “No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19.” It provides for a maximum fine of up to $1,000 per violation for any failure to comply with the order. In addition, it suspends the powers of the state’s emergency management director and the authority of local officials, including the Department of State Health Services’ preemptive authority, with respect to the declaration of local disasters and coordination or control of public health emergencies, to the extent necessary to ensure they do not impose restrictions that are inconsistent with the Order.

The Order is intended to remain in effect until Texas lawmakers pass legislation on the subject. To that end, Gov. Abbott has asked that the issue be added as an item to the third legislative special session, which ends on October 19, 2021.

The Order’s preamble strongly encourages COVID-19 vaccines for those who are eligible to receive vaccination, but asserts that vaccination must be voluntary for Texans and goes on to characterize the Biden Administration’s vaccination policy as “yet another instance of federal overreach” that is “now bullying many private entities into imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates.”

This newest executive order currently leaves open the question of whether its prohibition of vaccine mandates by employers creates an impermissible conflict with federal vaccination mandates, including the federal contractor vaccine program and the anticipated Emergency Temporary Standard to be issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. For now, Texas employers contemplating vaccine mandates or making decisions based on employees’ refusal to get vaccinated will be constrained to walk a fine line to maintain state and federal compliance.  We are continuing to track updates regarding this Order, as well as any legislative developments that would lend more insight and guidance.

Back to Workforce Bulletin Blog

Search This Blog

Blog Editors

Authors

Related Services

Topics

Archives

Jump to Page

Subscribe

Sign up to receive an email notification when new Workforce Bulletin posts are published:

Privacy Preference Center

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.