“This afternoon we heard welcome news that the vaccine booster requirement for health care workers set to go into effect Feb. 21 will be dropped. Department of Health officials seemingly caught on to our frequent warnings of staffing issues that would occur due to vaccine and booster mandates. We put highly-educated, top-notch professionals on the unemployment line due to their own personal health decisions. This was wrong and remains wrong.

“As I have consistently said since the beginning of this pandemic, I encourage anyone able to get the vaccine to do so. With this being said, the vaccine and its subsequent doses should not be mandated on anyone. We are not ruled by kings and queens in this state. If the governor wishes to implement any future pandemic policies or mandates she must respect our constitutional process and consult with the Legislature.

“Thank you to all those who called my office and made their voices heard. While we have much more work to do, today’s news is a win for common sense and personal freedoms.”