All But 4 Massachusetts House Members Have Followed COVID Vaccine Mandate, House Speaker Says
BOSTON (CBS) -- As the Massachusetts House of Representatives return to in-person work at the State House in Boston, not everybody is in line with the new COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The office of House Speaker Ron Mariano says all but four members of the House have provided proof of vaccination or have requested a religious or medical accommodation.
"Members who are not in compliance are required to continue working remotely, including participating in session, until they are in compliance," Mariano's office told WBZ-TV.
Employees who fail to get vaccinated or receive a medical or religious exemption will face a range of actions — from up to five days of unpaid leave if they are in violation of the policy on Dec. 13, to up to an additional 10 days of unpaid leave, indefinite unpaid leave or other disciplinary actions if they remain in violation of the policy.
As of Monday, House members and staff are "required to be available and able to work in person" at the State House.
This comes just about one month after the hallways were completely empty and offices locked up, as lawmakers continued to work from home.
