NASHVILLE, Tenn. – State Rep. Jason Zachary, R- Knoxville, today announced key legislation that reclaims religious freedom and personal liberty for Tennessee’s health care workers.
House Bill 1867 requires an employer with a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy to grant an exemption for medical or religious reasons to anyone who requests to be exempt. The bill also specifies that medical practitioners are protected from civil liability and threat of disciplinary action by health-related boards for providing medical exemptions.
“Health care workers have carried us through this public health crisis for two years,” Zachary said. “They are the heroes on the front lines of this pandemic. Some of them have made a personal decision to not get vaccinated and their choice should be respected.”
The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 13 struck down President Joe Biden’s vaccine or testing mandate for employers with more than 100 employees. The high court allowed a policy requiring vaccinations for the health care workers at facilities that receive Medicaid and Medicare funds. There is no testing alternative for health care workers. The mandate was issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on behalf of the Biden Administration. It applies to more than 10 million health care workers nationwide. Those that don’t comply face losing their jobs.
House Bill 1867 adds an additional layer of protection for Tennessee’s health care workers who do not want to be vaccinated.
“Forcing our nurses and health care professionals to walk away from their jobs if they don’t get vaccinated is not only unfair, but will exacerbate the labor shortage we’re already experiencing in our hospitals and health care setting nationwide,” Zachary said. For more about House Bill 1867, visit here.
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