State Rep. Jon Jacobsen paced, microphone in hand, around a table of anti-mandate organizers, as he unveiled a proposal to prohibit Iowa businesses from requiring employees to be vaccinated or wear masks.
“I can’t think of a greater civil rights issue than this,” Jacobsen said, comparing mandatory employer vaccinations to “an indentured servant-slash-slave relationship.”
If passed, the bill would prohibit businesses, including health care facilities, from asking employees to disclose their vaccination status. Businesses could not require employees or customers to wear face coverings, and they could not deny employment or service based on a person’s vaccination status.
If an employer violated the bill and required vaccinations, they would be liable “for any adverse reactions, injuries, disabilities or death” that resulted from the requirement. The business would also lose state licenses or permits.
The bill encompasses all vaccines, not just those against COVID-19. Schools would still be allowed to require vaccination and keep information on students’ medical histories.
It’s unclear how much support the bill has within the Republican majority. Party leadership on Tuesday encouraged legislators to wait until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on federal vaccine mandates before enacting new state policy.
“I look for (the Supreme Court) and I anticipate that they would put forward their ruling in a timely manner,” Gov. Kim Reynolds told reporters. “They understand the confusion...
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