Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, has signed an executive order barring state agencies from enforcing President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates on state employees. “President Biden’s coronavirus vaccine mandate is a stunning violation of personal freedom and abuse of the federal government’s power,” Ricketts said in an Oct. 29 statement. While Ricketts encouraged Nebraskans to get the COVID-19 vaccine, he insisted it’s a personal health decision and “not one that should be coerced.” “We’ve already made the decision that state teammates at the State of Nebraska won’t be forced to take the vaccine. This order takes the next step and bars cabinet state agencies from complying with coronavirus vaccine mandates from the federal government or other parties,” Ricketts added. Nebraska is also involved in a lawsuit, filed in a federal district court in Missouri with nine other states, against the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate. OSHA Mandate In September, President …