Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson | Facebook/Asa Hutchinson
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson | Facebook/Asa Hutchinson
The state is preparing to go to court over the President Joe Biden's administration’s workplace vaccine mandate.
Last week, Gov. Asa Hutchinson stated that the state would legally challenge the workplace vaccine mandate being initiated by the Biden administration. Hutchinson cited concerns that the mandate would present hiring problems for businesses and stall economic growth, according to Arkansas Business.
Hutchinson said that the federal government has "usurped the authority of the states in a public health matter."
“I’ve asked my agency directors and my department secretaries, very importantly, to prepare comments within the next 60 days to the proposed rules," Hutchinson said. “These are emergency rules that can be adjusted. We want to make a strong case, particularly that we can have a testing alternative for our employees.”
Attorney General Leslie Rutledge took to Twitter to say that the state was ready to follow through on the lawsuit stating that the mandate "violates of the rule of law."
Rutledge had already aligned with other states in filing a lawsuit against the vaccination requirement for federal contractors, according to a press release.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals permitted an emergency stay on Nov. 6 against the workplace vaccination obligation that the Biden administration mandated through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, NPR reported.
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