INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Thursday that Indiana will file suit against a federal order that requires workers at large employers to either get the COVID-19 vaccine or get tested weekly.
Holcomb said in a statement that he will direct the Indiana Department of Labor to work with Attorney General Todd Rokita on the lawsuit.
“This is an overreach of the government’s role in serving and protecting Hoosiers,” Holcomb said in a statement. “While I agree that the vaccine is the tool that will best protect against COVID-19, this federal government approach is unprecedented and will bring about harmful, unintended consequences in the supply chain and the workforce.”
Rokita said Indiana will be challenging each of the three vaccine mandates in separate lawsuits:
1. Lawsuit against the contractor mandate - plan to file Thursday
2. Lawsuit against OSHA's mandate - plan to file Friday once their rules are published
3. Lawsuit against the Medicaid mandate next week
Depending on the lawsuit, Rokita says Indiana will be joining other states in filing.
The new rule issued by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) means about 84 million Americans who work at companies with 100 or more employees will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly.
It is not clear how many employees are currently unvaccinated.
Companies that fail to comply could face penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
RELATED | OSHA to require COVID-19 vaccines or regular testing for workers at large companies beginning Jan. 4
