Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued executive orders on Monday that prohibits entities within the state from mandating people who object to getting vaccinated from being forced into doing so and another that prohibits employers from compelling workers to get the jab.

“No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19,” the order reads.

While the order notes that vaccines are “strongly encouraged for those eligible,” the language stresses that getting the jab “must always be voluntary for Texans.” 

Abbott has previously issued three executive orders to ban government entities from imposing vaccine mandates and requiring the use of vaccine passports. He considers the Biden Administration’s plan to require employers with 100 or more workers to get vaxxed or provide weekly negative tests, “yet another instance of federal overreach.” 

The order states that the White House is “bullying private entities into imposing vaccine manatees” that have the potential to cause workforce disruptions that threaten Texas’s recovery from the pandemic.

“Countless Texans fear losing their livelihoods because they object to receiving a COVID- 19 vaccination for reasons of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19,” the order continues. 

Abbott wants the order to be considered during the state legislature’s Third Special Session which ends on Oct. 19, and if passed into law, the executive order will be rescinded.   

“The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and our best defense against the virus, but should remain voluntary and never forced,” the governor said in a Monday tweet.