Arkansas Senate Passes Bills Addressing Vaccine Mandates

COVID-19, Legislature, ,
Above: Sens. Hammer and Ballinger converse on the Senate floor Monday.

On Monday the Arkansas Senate passed three bills addressing COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Arkansas.

The first was S.B. 739 by Sen. Kim Hammer and Rep. Joshua Bryant.

S.B. 739 requires employers to provide certain exemptions for employees who decline to utilize a COVID-19 vaccine. You Can Read The Bill Here. You Can See How Your Senator Voted Here.

Above: Sen. Garner (R – El Dorado) discusses legislation in the Arkansas Senate.

The second was S.B. 730 by Sen. Trent Garner.

S.B. 730 authorizes unemployment benefits for any employee terminated due to a refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19. You Can Read The Bill Here. You Can See How Your Senator Voted Here.

Above: Sen. Blake Johnson discusses S.B. 732 in the Arkansas Senate.

The third was S.B. 732 by Sen. Blake Johnson.

S.B. 732 prohibits coercing another person into receiving a COVID-19 vaccine if the person has a religious, philosophical, or medical objection to the vaccine. The bill is similar to current Arkansas law regarding immunization mandates and exemptions for students. You Can Read The Bill Here. You Can See How Your Senator Voted Here.

These bills now go to the House Public Health Committee for consideration.

READ MORE

Homeschooling Spikes Thanks to the Pandemic

Home School
John Stonestreet, Radio Host and Director of the Colson Center

Recently, the US Census bureau reported, somewhat diplomatically, “It’s clear that in an unprecedented environment, families are seeking solutions that will reliably meet [the needs] of their children.” That’s an understatement.

The New York Times reports that just last year, more than 1 million children did not enroll in kindergarten. The impact of learning loss from missed school time has parents worried across every grade. After years of the nationwide percentage of homeschool families hovering around 3.3 percent, that number jumped to 11.1 percent in the fall of 2020.

If all of this means a renewed emphasis on parental involvement, that’s a good thing. Whether homeschooled or otherwise, involved parents consistently predict far better educational outcomes for kids. Which makes sense, because parents are the primary, God-given guardians of their children’s future.

Education begins in the home. Or, as Tina Windebank put it over at Citizenlink, “Relax! Your kids are already homeschooled.”

Copyright 2021 by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Reprinted from BreakPoint.org with permission.

READ MORE

House, Senate Public Health Committees Advance Vaccine Mandate Legislation

COVID-19, Legislature, ,
The Arkansas Senate Public Health Committee met to consider several pieces of legislation on Friday.

On Friday the Public Health Committees in the Arkansas House and Arkansas Senate advanced multiple pieces of legislation addressing COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Arkansas.

The committees met as part of the state legislature’s extended session currently taking place.

The House Public Health Committee passed H.B. 1977 by Rep. Joshua Bryant and Sen. Bob Ballinger. It requires employers to provide certain exemptions for employees who decline to utilize a COVID-19 vaccine. You can read H.B. 1977 Here.

The bill now goes to the floor of the Arkansas House of Representatives, where it is scheduled to be heard on Monday.

The Senate Public Health Committee passed the following bills:

  • S.B. 732 by Sen. Blake Johnson. It prohibits coercing another person into receiving a COVID-19 vaccine if the person has a religious, philosophical, or medical objection to the vaccine. Read The Bill Here.
  • S.B. 730 by Sen. Trent Garner. It authorizes unemployment benefits for any employee terminated due to a refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Read The Bill Here.
  • S.B. 731 by Sen. Bob Ballinger. It prohibits employers from requiring employees to disclose their vaccination status. Read The Bill Here.
  • S.B. 739 by Sen. Kim Hammer and Rep. Joshua Bryant. It requires employers to provide certain exemptions for employees who decline to utilize a COVID-19 vaccine. Read The Bill Here.

These bills now go to the Arkansas Senate, where they are scheduled to be heard on Monday.

READ MORE