02/08/2022
Seven vaccine bills that NVIC Advocacy is tracking are coming up for executive session in three different committees. Public testimony has already been taken on these bills, and it is likely that the committee members will be voting on them. There is still time to contact these committee members and your personal state legislators and ask them to support or amend these bills. Please see below for a list of the bills divided by committee:
February 7th Hearing in House Rules - Administrative Oversight Committee at 3:30 PM in House Hearing Room 6
https://house.mo.gov/committees.aspx?cluster=true...
Note: The following two bills have already been voted out of the House Judiciary Committee. The current committee will choose whether the bills will be referred to the House for a vote or sent back to the House Judiciary Committee.
HB 1686, AMEND: Prohibits public bodies from requiring COVID Vaccines and requires exemptions for employer mandates.
NVIC Advocacy supports the section prohibiting public bodies from requiring COVID-19 vaccines.
However, NVIC Advocacy does not support employers requiring employees to receive a medical treatment including vaccination as a condition of employment, regardless of whether an exemption process is offered or not. Employers should be prohibited from issuing such mandates on their employees.
In cases where individuals’ objections to vaccination are not covered by their employer’s limited exemption processes, they are compelled to get vaccinated to remain employed, are therefore incapable of giving voluntary informed consent to vaccination.
HB 2358, AMEND: Requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations from COVID mandates, and allows workers' compensation and unemployment benefits for individuals fired for not getting COVID-19 vaccine.
NVIC Advocacy supports allowing employees to file for workers' compensation and unemployment benefits, because this could help employees who have been fired or injured by a vaccine.
However, NVIC Advocacy does not support employer vaccine mandates, and reasonable accommodations are already required by federal law. Employers should be prohibited from mandating vaccines, period.
Vaccine mandates on employees are inappropriate, especially when the vaccine in question (COVID-19) is already available to all who want it. These mandates force individuals who wish to remain unvaccinated into trying to opt-out of the process, rather than giving them the freedom to opt-in to vaccination based on their own initiative.
February 8th Hearing in House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee at 8:00 AM in House Hearing Room 7
https://house.mo.gov/committees.aspx?cluster=true...
HB 1995, SUPPORT: Creates "The Parents' Bill of Rights for Student Well-Being."
This bill states, among other items, that no governmental entity, school district, or other public institution shall infringe on the fundamental rights of a parent to direct the health care of a minor child.
It also lists the rights of parents to (1) make health care decisions for their children, (2) exempt their children from school immunization requirements, and (3) give written consent before biometric data of a child is made, shared, or stored.
February 9th Hearing in House Judiciary Committee at 4:00 PM or upon Adjournment in House Hearing Room 6
https://house.mo.gov/committees.aspx?cluster=true...
HB 1475, SUPPORT: Prohibits educational entities from mandating COVID-19 vaccines or gene therapy treatments.
This bill would prohibit a school district, public school, institute of higher education or school employee from requiring any school employee or any student of such school district, public school or institute of higher education to receive a COVID-19 Vaccine to attend school or school events or for employment.
School-age children are not prone to serious COVID-19 infections, and have also been found not to be major transmitters of the virus.
This bill also prohibits students and employees from being tested for COVID-19 without the express written consent of the school employee, student or guardian.
Protecting parental consent is important, especially in a time when there is a growing push for minors to be vaccinated without it.
HB 1641, AMEND: Requires employers who mandate vaccines to accept exemptions or proof of immunity.
NVIC Advocacy does not support vaccine mandates. This bill establishes in state law that employer mandates are allowed as long as exemption processes are in place. A better solution would be to prohibit employer vaccine mandates altogether.
Vaccine mandates in the workplace shift the focus from health to vaccine status. It has been demonstrated that even vaccinated individuals are still capable of contracting and spreading COVID-19.
It can be safely assumed in most instances that an individual will act in his or her own best interest. If a person has elected not to receive a particular vaccine, it likely means that he or she assessed that the risks associated with the disease (which may have viable treatments) are less critical for him or her than the risks associated with the vaccine.
HB 1861, SUPPORT: Prohibits considering COVID-19 vaccination status during organ transplant process.
This bill prohibits considering COVID-19 status at any point of the organ transplant process, including but not limited to (1) The referral of a patient to be considered for a transplant, (2) The evaluation of a patient for a transplant, (3) The consideration of a patient for placement on a waiting list, (4) A patient's particular position on a waiting list, and (5) The evaluation of a potential donor to determine his or her suitability as an organ donor.
This legislation is relevant, as there are multiple instances of patients being turned away from life-saving organ transplants simply because they were not vaccinated against COVID-19.
HB 2093, AMEND: Prohibits employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates until 2023.
While this bill is well-intended, there should be no expiration date on the prohibition of vaccine mandates.
A person’s job is a necessity for him or her. Individuals who want and need to work should not have to choose between losing a job that provides for themselves and their families, or taking a vaccine they do not want.
Our American system of government was founded upon protecting the rights of individuals. This protection entails prohibiting the intrusion upon these rights from other individuals and entities, including employers.
ACTION NEEDED:
1) Contact members of these committees and ask them to support or amend the bills that are important to your family. Please click on the hyperlinked committee names above to see lists of committee members, and then click on each member to find his or her contact information.
2) Contact your Missouri state senator and representative and ask them to support or amend the bills. Please see talking points below to use when contacting them. If you do not know who your Missouri state legislators are, login to the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://nvicadvocacy.org/. Click on "Check What is Happening in Your State" on the home page or "My State" on the STATE TEAMS tab. Your personal state legislators are listed on the right side of the page. You can click on your legislator's names to get phone numbers, emails, and even links to their social media to connect to them. You can also use this link to find who your state legislators are: https://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/Default.aspx
3) Please share this email with family and friends, or you can tell them to go to http://nvicadvocacy.org/ and click on the alerts for these bills.
4) Sign up to get Missouri "Heads Up" text alerts by texting "Missouri" to 202-618-5488.
5) Login to the NVIC Advocacy Portal OFTEN to check for updates. http://nvicadvocacy.org/. We review bills and make updates daily. Bills can change many times over the legislative process and your timely visits, calls, and emails directed at the correct legislators are critical to this process.
State Advocacy Portal for the National Vaccine Information Center
