Senate votes vaccinal pass, disagreements persist with assembly

The National Assembly will meet Sunday afternoon for an ultimate reading. It will come back to validate its own text on behalf of Parliament, and to put a two-week term of a particularly chaotic legislative path.

Le Monde with AFP

The right majority Senate voted on Saturday again the bill establishing the vaccinal pass, but by maintaining certain points of disagreement with the National Assembly, to which will come back the last word on Sunday. The text was adopted at second reading at the beginning of the evening by 187 votes for, 66 against and 88 abstentions.

The Philippe BAS Rapporteur (LR) considered that the Senate thus asserted “its agreement to the Principle” of the vaccinal pass, while keeping its “freedom” on certain modalities. For its part, Minister Brigitte Bourguignon who represented the government, pointed out that MEPs had already resumed several “important Senate” points, but does the observation that some “disagreements persist”.

He will come back to the National Assembly, which will meet on Sunday afternoon for a final reading, to validate his own text on behalf of Parliament, and to put a two-week term of a particularly chaotic legislative path.

The version of the Senate suppresses the possibility of proceeding with identity checks by professionals – cinemas, cafes etc. – In case of doubt about the holder of a pass. This provision constitutes “a drift in terms of probably excessive freedoms”, putting in addition “the professionals in uncomfortable situation”, felt Philippe Bonnecarrère (centrist union).

Senators also removed the administrative fine for non-compliance by the employer of teleworking rules. “We do not want an immixition of the labor inspector” and “add administrative penalties”, where judicial sanctions already exist, said M. Bas.

A marathon dotted with polemics

Members had adopted the sanitary bill in new reading in the wee hours Saturday after a long night of debate. Resulting the arguments of the opponents of the Pass, the Ecologist Senator, Thomas Dossus, denounced a measure “discriminant and liberticide”.

The text of the deputies contained some openings in the direction of the senators, in the first place a relaxation so that the vaccinal pass no longer applies to adolescents between 12 and 15 years – always subjected to the sanitary pass.

started on 29 December in committee, the Marathon of this twelfth health emergency text since March 2020 has been dotted with skin and polemics. The bill that initially needed to be implemented from January 15, to cope with the outbreak of Omicron Variant, played prolongations in front of the chambers due to twists like the unexpected suspension of debates on the first night, or A broken oppositions after Emmanuel Macron’s words on the non-vaccinated.

/Media reports.