A bill declaring previous COVID-19 infections to be same as having been vaccinated has become law in Tennessee without the signature of Republican Gov. Bill Lee.

The measure was sponsored by Rep. Bud Hulsey of Kingsport and Sen. Joey Hensley, a Hohenwald physician. Both are Republicans. The bill passed the Senate on a vote of 26-5 in the Senate and 66-20 in the House.

The bill defines natural immunity as being verified by a lab test or a letter for a licensed physician. Critics said the latter does not require any scientific proof to be established.

The Tennessee Constitution gives the governor 10 days (excluding Sundays) from receipt of a bill to sign, veto, or allow the measure to become law without his signature.

The governor took similar action on a recent bill seeking to establish a three-year residency requirement for congressional candidates to run in Tennessee primaries. By waiting for the entire period before declining to affix his signature, the bill didn’t become law until after the candidate filing deadline.