A pharmacist holds a COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in New York, on Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon, File)

Two days after eight Republicans in Minnesota introduced legislation to designate mRNA vaccines as weapons of mass destruction, one co-sponsor has already removed his name from the bill.

If signed into law, House Bill 3219 would prohibit mRNA products and implement a $500 fine for anyone who administers an mRNA vaccine, the type of technology primarily used for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines. The bill originally had eight co-sponsors, but state Rep. Keith Allen’s (R-Kenyon) name was stricken from the bill on Wednesday.

Allen’s office did not immediately respond to elaborate why his name was removed from the bill.

Rep. Shane Mekeland (R-Clear Lake) is the bill’s primary sponsor, but the legislation was written by Florida hypnotherapist Dr. Joseph Sansone.

Rep. Walter Hudson (R-Albertville) is one of the co-sponsors whose name is still attached to HB 3219. Hudson has openly espoused conspiracy theories in the past, including labeling Democrats as collaborators with the Church of Satan.