Written Testimony to the Special Committee on Government Overreach and Impact of COVID-19 Mandates

Chair, Senator Renee Erickson
Saturday, October 30, 2021, 10:00 AM Room 346-S
Kansas Legislative Research Department, [email protected]

Position – Support COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates to Protect Public Health 

Chair Erickson and Committee Members,

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony regarding the impact of COVID-19 mandates on Kansans. COVID-19 has disrupted every aspect of life in our state, and we still haven’t put this pandemic behind us yet. But we have the tools to do so with safe, effective, and widely available vaccines. This is a time when we should be pushing towards the finish line, not turning around and running the other way.

This special committee must move beyond political posturing to identify ways that we can work together to get Kansans vaccinated. A mere 51% of Kansans are fully vaccinated (not including the booster). Children as young as five may be able to receive their vaccine next week. Kansans need our elected officials - individuals who we have entrusted with the power to guide our state out of the pandemic - to support scientifically proven ways to protect public health, not push out false narratives around vaccines.

Vaccine mandates are not new. They have been used to protect students and workers in crowded spaces throughout our country’s history. And they are effective in stopping deadly illnesses as we have seen with the eradication of childhood diseases. It’s time that we add COVID-19 to that list, and the only way to do so is by supporting vaccines in every way that we can.

Thank you for considering our testimony.

Respectfully,

Michael Poppa, Executive Director
Mainstream Coalition
6750 Antioch Rd., Ste. 305G
Merriam, KS 66204
913-649-3326
[email protected]

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