On Tuesday, Arizona State Sen. Kelly Townsend requested Arizona’s Attorney General to investigate the City of Tucson for its plan to require City employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination as a term of employment.
“This action is a clear violation of Executive Order 2021-18,” said Townsend. “The Order issued by the governor states that cities, towns, and counties do not have inherit police power to implement vaccine mandates. The Order says a city that implements a vaccine mandate faces a Class 3 misdemeanor and is subject to legal action.”
The ordinance approved by the Tucson City Council says the City has until August 20, to receive proof of vaccination from at least 750 members of the unvaccinated workforce. With Townsend’s request, the Attorney Generals Office will now open an investigation and a report will be issued within 30 days.
City of Tucson employees will need to provide proof of at least one dose of the controversial COVID-19 vaccine by the August deadline.
The Tucson Mayor and Council voted 6-1 on an ordinance that now requires employees to have some form of vaccine passport. Employees who do not comply face a five-day suspension. The ordinance does provide for religious and medical exemptions.
According to City Manager Michael Ortega, about 79 percent of the City’s employees responded to a survey about vaccine status, of those 74 percent said they were fully vaccinated.