Three things for November 19
1. Florida Gov. signs bill blocking vaccine mandate
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Thursday in opposition to coronavirus vaccination mandates on workers, making Florida the first state with legislation that imposes fines on businesses and hospitals requiring inoculation against COVID-19.
“Leadership means you get in there, and you do what you can to stand by people, and that’s exactly what we did today,” DeSantis said, according to CNN.
The law came as a result of tension between Republican-led states and the Biden administration’s push for widespread vaccinations in the U.S.
Because of the new law, all Florida entities are required to allow workers to opt out of the vaccine mandate because of medical or religious exemption, proof of natural immunity or submission to regular testing for COVID-19.
Florida lawmakers have also approved a $5 million war chest for the state’s legal battle against the Biden administration; however, Florida is already one of 26 states pursuing legal action to prevent the federal vaccine mandate from forcing employers to require vaccinations.
DeSantis also announced Thursday the state will join a lawsuit to block mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers.
2. Cleveland State students petition for Joker’s Law
Joker, a K-9 unit for the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office, was shot in an auto theft incident in September. Representative Mike Hall of Cleveland is now advocating to adjust the punishment for assaulting a law enforcement animal to a Class B felony.
Students at Cleveland State Community College have rallied behind him to start Joker’s Law Petition Project.
"We asked him what we could do, and he said that as many signatures that we could collect so that when he takes it to Nashville, he can say, ‘this is what the people wanted.’ And the people have come forth and said, ‘this is what we want,’'" student Dawn Carlyle said, according to WRCBtv.
The group collected signatures for the petition at El Cazadors Mexican Restaurant in Cleveland on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
“This is a really good lesson in victim's advocacy and the whole criminal justice system for us,” said Carlyle.
To sign the petition, click here.
3. Crab migration shuts down roads in Australia
The first rainfall of the wet season on Australia’s Christmas Island has begun, meaning millions of bright red crabs are once again migrating, shutting down roads and appearing everywhere in the process, reports The Washington Post.
Male crabs lead, and females follow, migrating from the jungle to the Indian Ocean to mate in or near burrows by the water. Around 50 million red crabs march through civilized areas and across specially-made crab bridges to reach the ocean.
World famous naturalist Sir David Attenborough listed the natural migration process as one of the top TV moments of his career, calling it “an astonishing, wonderful sight.”
