STATE WIDE–Indiana is suing the Biden administration to stop the federal mandate that employers require their employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Atty. Gen. Todd Rokita announced three separate lawsuits Thursday afternoon.
The first, which was expected to be filed Thursday, is to stop the mandate for federal contractors. The second, which is expected to be filed Friday, is to stop OSHA from enforcing the mandate.
LISTEN: AG Todd Rokita’s news conference on the vaccine mandate lawsuits
While Indiana will join with Mississippi and Louisiana on the lawsuit to stop the mandate for federal contractors, Rokita said Indiana is filing its own, separate suit on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement rule.
“It’s an overreach for OSHA. This is not a workplace violation. It’s a misuse of our OSHA laws, right?” said the attorney general. “It’s egregious and insidious that you’d use a body of law that was meant to protect workers in the work place.”
Rokita said his strategy is that the OSHA portion of the mandate is invalid because the coronavirus vaccine is not a workplace issue.
“It’s been with us. It’s been with us at our homes. It’s been with us on our sports teams. It’s been with us in our kids’ schools. It’s been with us everywhere.”
The third lawsuit, which Rokta said will be filed next week, has to do with the Medicaid portion of the mandate.
“That basically covers health care workers, who offer, deliver health care services where those services are covered by Medicaid and/or Medicare,” he said.
Indiana said Indiana is also likely joining with Louisiana and Mississippi in that suit.
Employers who do not require the vaccine and have more than 100 employees, could face a fine of up to $14,000 per violation, per Mr. Biden’s executive order.
