A bill that would have protected unvaccinated Louisiana residents from discrimination was voluntarily shelved by its author on the Louisiana House floor Wednesday.

House Bill 253, sponsored by Rep. Kathy Edmonston, R-Gonzales, would amend several existing discrimination statutes, adding vaccination or immunity status as a protected class. Edmonston said to the House that she is not moving forward with the bill.

Her proposal came up for a vote Monday in the House, but she moved it back to the calendar after fielding questions from lawmakers that she couldn’t answer.

“Our people have been coerced, manipulated, lost their jobs, experienced financial hardship and shamed into receiving the shot,” Edmonston said Wednesday on the House floor. “This is not indictivate of the country I grew up in, nor do I want my children or grandchildren to experience.”

Despite not moving forward with the bill, Edmonston said she will “continue to do everything in my power” end discrimination based on vaccination or immunity status.

Edmonston’s office did not respond immediately when asked why she decided to not move forward with the bill.

— The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianans, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.