SPOKANE, Wash. — A proposed Washington state bill would make it a Class C felony to sell or transfer fake COVID-19 vaccine cards and a misdemeanor to present a fake vaccine card.
Senate Bill (S.B.) 5667, sponsored by Washington State Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline) and other state lawmakers, is a new section proposed to be added to Chapter 9.383 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), which deals with false representations.
Under the proposed bill, any person who knowingly sells, offers to sell, or possesses a false COVID-19 vaccine card with intent to sell would be found guilty of a felony.
Additionally, any person who presents a fake COVID-19 vaccine card in order to enter public property, attend an event, or do anything that requires proof of vaccination would be found guilty of a misdemeanor.
According to S.B. 5667, a person is guilty of selling or transferring a fake COVID-19 vaccine card if "with the intent to defraud, the person exhibits, displays, or otherwise offers as genuine a document or other writing which falsely purports to be verification issued by a governmental agency of a person having received one or more doses of a vaccination against COVID-19" at any public property that requires proof of vaccination in order to enter.
The proposed bill had its first public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law and Justice on Monday and is scheduled to appear in the executive session of the committee on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022.
To read the proposed bill in its entirety, click here.