Missouri House votes against proof-of-vaccine mandates

(AP) — The Missouri House has voted to ban private businesses from requiring proof of vaccination from either employees or customers.

House lawmakers voted 88-56 Monday to tack the provision on another bill.

There appears to be widespread opposition in the Republican-led Legislature to preemptively ban so-called vaccine passports. Vaccine passports are documentation that shows travelers have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The Missouri bill advanced Monday goes further by banning private businesses from requiring proof of any vaccination.

Bipartisan critics say businesses such as nursing homes should be allowed to require employees or visitors to show they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus.