While we appreciate the governor’s efforts, the new vaccine bill does very little.
1.) Despite claims in the media, the bill ONLY applies to state employees.
2.) It creates a specific exemption for federal money, meaning that the state can choose money over the health autonomy of its employees. The current law only allows healthcare facilities to force-jab; the new law will allow ALL state entities to force-jab if federal money is involved. More detail from Conduit: https://conduitnews.com/2023/09/08/mandates-for-money/ “Under the 2021 law, only a state owned or state controlled medical facility could request approval to mandate a vaccine. Under the new bill, the state, a state agency or entity, a political subdivision of the state, or a state or local official can request permission to mandate the vaccine if the mandate is necessary for federal funding.”
3.) The bill does not protect employees of private or public businesses. This is a big step to the left of the Ballinger “Don’t ask don’t tell” vaccine bill of 2021. Our state clearly prioritizes Walmart, Tyson, and the State Chamber of Commerce (big business) over the rights of private individuals to make their own healthcare decisions.
Read the bill here. Pay particular attention to Section 1(f), page 3, lines 15-25.
Contact your legislators here: