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No Vaccine Passports in Texas: Huffines Bars Any Business That Demands COVID Papers From Comptroller Contracts and Grants

(AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Don Huffines today announced an executive order barring any business that demands proof of COVID-19 vaccination or recovery from its customers from receiving a Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts contract or grant. Under the order, every contractor and grantee must certify that it complies with Section 161.0085, Texas Health and Safety Code, and does not require customers to show COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery documentation to enter, gain access to, or receive service from its business.

“The government has no authority to demand medical papers from Texans just so they can access basic services,” Huffines said. “Forcing someone to disclose private health information to receive help from a state‑funded program is an outrageous invasion of privacy. Texans should never have to choose between their medical freedom and their ability to participate in public life.

“It is very rare for government to restore liberty once it has taken it. That is exactly what I am doing at this agency. During COVID, Texans had their liberty taken from them one mandate at a time. This order is one more step in an ongoing effort to give Texans back the freedoms that were taken from them, and there is more to come.”

Texas law already makes a business that imposes such a requirement ineligible to receive a grant or enter into a contract payable with state funds. Under the order, contractors and grantees must certify that they:

• Comply with Section 161.0085, Texas Health and Safety Code, for the full term of the agreement.
• Do not require customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery to enter, gain access to, or receive service from the business.
• Acknowledge that requiring such documentation makes the business ineligible for a state-funded contract or grant.

These requirements will be standard terms in future contracts and grants administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The agency will incorporate the vaccine passport certification into its solicitations and agreements going forward.

The Comptroller’s office is writing immediate-termination authority into its agreements to enforce the certification.

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts serves as the chief financial officer — treasurer, check writer, tax collector, procurement officer, and revenue estimator — for the world's eighth-largest economy. The agency also administers statewide initiatives, including the Texas Broadband Development Office, State Energy Conservation Office, Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council, Texas college savings plans, and more.

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