"I believe all the gene therapy products that are being used for immunization should be put on on hold until we can determine their safety and efficacy," he said.

No immunizations employ gene therapy, Pate said.

The bill is named after Doug Cameron, an Idaho framer who believes he was injured by a COVID-19 vaccine that he received in 2021, according to interviews with Cameron posted online. Cameron previously testified in Washington, D.C., at a panel held by Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson about people allegedly harmed by vaccines.

An estimate from 2024 concluded that COVID-19 vaccines have saved close to 800,000 lives in the U.S.

Pate told the Statesman by text that banning mRNA vaccines just as new, potentially more lethal viruses are emerging "will win political points now, but result in widespread panic and political fallout for these shortsighted politicians if these other threats materialize."