HELENA, Mont. (NMB) – 11 states, including Montana, have formally filed suit against the rule the Biden administration is implementing requiring businesses with more than 100 employees to ensure they are either vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested weekly and wear masks.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen filed the lawsuit on behalf of Montana. The lawsuit claims that states, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations.
According to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, the rule issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would apply to 142,000 private-sector workers in Montana.
Governor Greg Gianforte released a statement on Friday calling the rule “heavy-handed,” and that the state will “use all tools at our disposal to protect Montanans against this gross, unprecedented federal overreach.”
