Newly Passed Law Gives Oklahoma Attorney General Funds To Fight Federal Vaccine Requirement

State lawmakers hope a new law passed this session will make it easier for Oklahoma to push back against President Joe Biden's new vaccination orders.

Those orders could impact 100 million Americans. The state law here in Oklahoma gives the state attorney general's office more funding and power to sue the Biden administration. House Speaker Charles McCall says the state legislature anticipated that the Biden administration would do this.

Because of that, they passed House Bill 1236 this session. The bill creates a state reserved powers protection unit within the office of the state attorney general. That office will determine whether federal executive orders from the President are unconstitutional.

It also provides the office $10 million in litigation funds.

Speaker McCall says he, along with many of his colleagues, feel the President's vaccine requirement is both federal overreach and a violation of the 10th amendment. On Thursday, President Biden ordered that all companies with at least 100 employees must mandate vaccines or require weekly COVID testing for their staff.

McCall says, while he supports getting the vaccine and got it himself, he feels it's a personal choice, and it is not the federal government's job to tell private companies what to do.

"These types of actions in Oklahoma particularly, they undermine the trust of the people, when the Government steps in and tells people what they have to do,” said McCall, a Republican from Atoka. “I think it’s not only practically the wrong approach from a leadership standpoint, but it's unconstitutional."

Both Governor Kevin Stitt and Attorney General John O'Connor released statements slamming President Biden's actions.

The attorney general's office says it plans to file a lawsuit.