Biden administration authorizes federal agencies to keep employee vaccination database

A federal agency in Washington, DC, has announced their intention to create a database of those who have refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 for religious reasons. This despite the fact that the Biden administration has clearly stated that there would be no vaccine database.

In April, Biden's CDC spokesperson Jeff Zeints said "There'll be no federal vaccination database, no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential."

The Biden administration has now authorized federal agencies to keep vaccine databases, despite saying clearly that there would be "no federal vaccine database."

The Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) for the District of Columbia announced their intention to make a list of those who have refused vaccination on religious grounds, a list of the unvaccinated, further stating that they are doing this in order to be compliant with Biden's executive order requiring federal employees to be vaccinated, and the follow-up guidance as to how to implement that order.

The PSA issued this announcement to create the "Employee Religious Exception Request Information System," which would maintain "personal religious information collected in response to religious accommodation requests for the religious exception from the federally mandated vaccination requirement in the context of a public health emergency or similar health and safety incident."

While states and municipalities have enacted their own vaccine mandates and created the means for citizens to prove their vaccination status, no federal agency has yet to create a database based on vaccine status—until now.

As to why the agency needs this list, the agency announced that "The system of records will assist the Agency in the collection, storing, dissemination, and disposal of employee religious exemption request information collected and maintained by the Agency."

"In other words, the list will help the agency make a list," The Daily Signal succinctly notes.

The PSA, which "is the Federal agency responsible for gathering information about newly arrested defendants and preparing the recommendations considered by the Court in deciding release options," stated that they need to make this list in order to be compliant with Biden's executive order requiring that all federal employees get vaccinated, except those who are "subject to such exceptions as required by law."

After that order, on October 4, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force "issued guidance to Federal agencies regarding collecting information for medical and religious accommodations." Is is this guidance that the PSA is seeking to comply with when they begin keeping their vaccine status database for those who have religious exemptions.

That Safer Federal Workforce Task Force's guidance reads that "In order to adequately understand and thereby control the spread of COVID-19 in the workforce, it is critical that the employer has records of employees' vaccination status, and of the testing undergone by employees who do not receive vaccination, and that it knows of all cases of COVID-19 occurring among employees. However, such information is outside of the scope of OSHA's existing recordkeeping requirements, which are limited to injuries or illnesses that the employer knows to be work-related."

The database will be enacted on February 10.