Kansas US Senator Roger Marshall says federal vaccine mandates will cost state businesses over $40 million to comply if the mandates withstand a barrage of legal challenges from state attorneys general.
In a report released Friday, Marshall said compliance with President Joe Biden’s mandate, which is poised to force businesses with at least 100 employees to fully vaccinate those workers or else face $14,000 fines per violation, could cost Kansas businesses around $43 million — if the mandate stands up in federal court. Over 30 states, including Kansas, have filed lawsuits against the individual components of the mandate including the business vaccination policy.
Marshall cited other issues with the federal mandate. He says close to 470,000 workers, or 31 percent of the state’s total workforce, are at risk of losing their jobs if they decide not to comply with the vaccine mandate. Also in the report:
*Marshall says 38 percent of manufacturing employees in Kansas, or close to 80,000 workers, are unvaccinated and work at businesses with at least 100 employees.
*Thirty percent of wholesale trade workers, almost 23,000 employees, are unvaccinated and are working at businesses with 100 employees or more.
*A third of retail workers, or over 60,000 employees, are unvaccinated while working at businesses with at least 100 workers.
Nationwide, Marshall says almost 45 million workers — about 28 percent of the US labor force — is at risk of losing their jobs because of their COVID-19 vaccination status. He says US businesses could spend almost $1.3 billion to comply with the vaccine mandate.
Marshall is a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
