Kansas Governor Signs Bill Allowing Broad Exemptions to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

Zachary Stieber
By Zachary Stieber
November 25, 2021Vaccines
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Kansas Governor Signs Bill Allowing Broad Exemptions to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly answers questions in her office at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan., on March 25, 2020. (John Hanna/AP)

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has signed a bill that allows workers to be exempt from COVID-19 vaccine mandates if getting vaccinated would endanger their health or violate their religious beliefs.

The Republican-controlled Legislature passed the bill in a special session on Monday.

The Democrat governor signed it on Tuesday.

Kelly is one of the few prominent Democrats to voice opposition to President Joe Biden’s private employer vaccine mandate and reiterated her stance in a statement after she signed House Bill 2001.

“I have been clear that I believe it is too late to impose a federal standard. States have been leading the fight against COVID-19 for nearly two years. I know there are Kansans who believe this legislation goes too far, and there are others who believe this legislation doesn’t go far enough. But I was elected to lead, and leadership means seeking compromise,” Kelly said.

“This bill is the result of compromise in action. Now that it is signed, we need to turn our attention towards pressing issues like growing our economy and passing my plan to Axe the Food Tax, so we can put money back into everyday Kansans’ pockets,” she added.

The legislation specifies that an employer who imposes vaccination requirements must exempt a worker if the worker submits a written waiver request stating that getting vaccinated would endanger their life or health or an individual residing with them, backed by a statement from a physician or other health professional; or that getting vaccinated would violate “sincerely held religious beliefs.”

Employers who violate the law could be sued in court by the state’s secretary of labor, with fines totaling up to $50,000 per violation, depending on the size of the business.

It also lets people who were fired or not hired over a refusal to get vaccinated gain unemployment benefits, provided they submitted a waiver request and it was denied.

“This is a straight forward law that clarifies for Kansas employers that they need to accept medical and religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccinations. These exemptions are the same exemptions allowed under federal law. We just took the ambiguity out of the federal law and created an enforcement mechanism,” state Rep. Stephen Owens, a Republican and one of its sponsors, said in a statement.

“I’m proud of the work we did to help Kansans keep their jobs,” added state Republican Rep. John Barker, another sponsor.

Only two Democrats voted for the legislation, and many voiced criticism of Kelly, who is facing a reelection challenge from Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, for signing it.

“I think that the governor has made a bad bargain,” Democrat state Rep. John Carmichael told the Kansas City Star.

“This bill is unconstitutional and places an unreasonable burden on Kansas businesses,” added state Rep. Cindy Neighbor, a Democrat, on Twitter.

From The Epoch Times

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