SENATE BILL: COVID-19 Vaccine Card Anti-Forgery Act (Passed)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

AN ACT
To outlaw forgery of COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards

Be it enacted by the Congress of the Republic of Atlasia assembled

Section 1. Title

This legislation may be cited as the COVID-19 Vaccine Card Anti-Forgery Act.

Section 2. Outlawing the manufacturing and use of false COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards

1. It shall be a federal crime to create unauthorized COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards, or to use a forged card for access to employment or private or public services.

2. Individuals convicted of violating Section 2.1 may be sentenced to no longer than one year in prison and/or a $25,000 fine.

Sponsor: Pericles
Senate Designation: SB29:26

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Sponsor advocacy 24 hours etc.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I have proposed this legislation in response to recent reports that anti-vaxxers have been digitally sharing templates and information for how to forge vaccination record cards.

Congress can debate the appropriate penalties and how much it wants to build on this legislation. What I would advise against (and I agree with the RL Biden administration very strongly here) is using reasoning for this bill to justify creating a national database for the vaccinated and non-vaccinated, simply because this could violate individual privacy and create an inefficient system best handled by the regions and states.

But criminalizing the manufacture, usage, and sale of these cards is common sense, as should a verification system that makes forgeries easy to detect.

[SevenEleven]

I really like this bill.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I have proposed this legislation in response to recent reports that anti-vaxxers have been digitally sharing templates and information for how to forge vaccination record cards.

Congress can debate the appropriate penalties and how much it wants to build on this legislation. What I would advise against (and I agree with the RL Biden administration very strongly here) is using reasoning for this bill to justify creating a national database for the vaccinated and non-vaccinated, simply because this could violate individual privacy and create an inefficient system best handled by the regions and states.

But criminalizing the manufacture, usage, and sale of these cards is common sense, as should a verification system that makes forgeries easy to detect.

I was afraid this was going to happen.

I agree strongly with the concerns raised about the database, which arguably applies in other areas just as much but of course that is a topic for another time and another day.

As for the penalties, would it be advisable to have a more tiered approach, as in penalize those engaging in manufacture and sale more then usage or is the greater benefit derived from the penalty being the same for all three groups of offenders here?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

As I said in my OP, I'm letting Congress decide on the penalties. However, one suggestion might be prison time for manufacturers and sellers of forged cards and fines for people caught buying or using them. At least, that would be consistent with the logic of treating drug dealers versus users, because one party is financially gaining by taking advantage of the other.

Of course, this is slightly different given that these cards don't appear to be that difficult to make for oneself if all you need is a good ink printer, the right type of paper, and a template...

[Pericles]

I'd like to promise the following amendment.

Section 3; Protections in high-risk jobs
1. No law may be enacted in any part of the Republic of Atlasia, that prevents companies from requiring or effectively requiring in some other reasonable way that their employees are vaccinated against Covid-19, in the following areas of employment-
a) Employees working in aged care facilities.
b) Employees working in domiciliary care who look after multiple elderly or otherwise extremely clinically vulnerable individuals on a routine basis.
c) Employees working in frontline healthcare roles where there is a high risk of transmission of Covid-19, particularly to individuals with exceptional vulnerability.
2. This legal protection for companies applies to requirements imposed on both new and longstanding employees.
3. Nothing in this legislation extends a blanket legal protection to companies imposing vaccine requirements beyond the areas of employment listed.

[Spark]

This bill will be great to discourage the forgery that is inevitably happening across the nation.

[Harvey Updyke Jr🌹]

I support Pericles' amendment; however, I would be in favor of a blanket protection once this reaches the House.   Fact of the matter is that we need more people getting vaccinated.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

With no objections, the sponsor originated amendment is adopted.

[SevenEleven]

I'll move for a final vote.

[Pericles]

No objection from me.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

A final vote is now underway on this legislation, Senators please vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Aye

[Left Wing]

Aye

[Pericles]

Aye

[Spark]

Aye

[Blair]

Aye

[SevenEleven]

Aye.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Vote on Final Passage of the Covid-19 Vaccine Card Anti-Forgery Act:

Aye (6): Blair, Falterin, NC Yankee, Pericles, Sev and Spark
Nay (0):
Abstain (0):

Didn't Vote (0):

This bill has passed the Senate and is sent to the VP for House action.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

AN ACT
To outlaw forgery of COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards

Be it enacted by the Congress of the Republic of Atlasia assembled

Section 1. Title

This legislation may be cited as the COVID-19 Vaccine Card Anti-Forgery Act.

Section 2. Outlawing the manufacturing and use of false COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards

1. It shall be a federal crime to create unauthorized COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards, or to use a forged card for access to employment or private or public services.

2. Individuals convicted of violating Section 2.1 may be sentenced to no longer than one year in prison and/or a $25,000 fine.

Section 3; Protections in high-risk jobs
1. No law may be enacted in any part of the Republic of Atlasia, that prevents companies from requiring or effectively requiring in some other reasonable way that their employees are vaccinated against Covid-19, in the following areas of employment-
a) Employees working in aged care facilities.
b) Employees working in domiciliary care who look after multiple elderly or otherwise extremely clinically vulnerable individuals on a routine basis.
c) Employees working in frontline healthcare roles where there is a high risk of transmission of Covid-19, particularly to individuals with exceptional vulnerability.

2. This legal protection for companies applies to requirements imposed on both new and longstanding employees.

3. Nothing in this legislation extends a blanket legal protection to companies imposing vaccine requirements beyond the areas of employment listed.

People's Regional Senate
Passed 6-0 in the Atlasian Senate Assembled,