Arkansas Senate Passes Bills Addressing Vaccine Mandates

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.

House, Senate Public Health Committees Advance Vaccine Mandate Legislation

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.

Updated: Arkansas Senate Sends COVID Vaccine Mandate Measures Back to Public Health Committee

Following lengthy discussion, the Arkansas Senate voted Thursday morning to re-refer several pieces of legislation dealing with COVID-19 vaccine mandates to the Senate Public Health Committee.

The Public Health Committee voted on Wednesday to “batch” the bills — S.B. 719, S.B. 731, S.B. 732, S.B. 736, S.B. 737, S.B. 738, S.B. 739, and S.B. 740 — and send them directly to the Arkansas Senate for consideration. Thursday’s decision in the Senate puts the bills back on the Senate Public Health Committee’s agenda.

On Wednesday evening the House Public Health Committee narrowly voted to advance H.B. 1972, another measure addressing COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Below is a very brief overview of some of the bills that have been filed related to COVID-19 vaccine mandates:

  • S.B. 719 by Sen. Bob Ballinger and Rep. Joshua Bryant prohibits employers from requiring employees to disclose their vaccination status. Read The Bill Here.
  • S.B. 730 by Sen. Trent Garner 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 prohibits employers from requiring employees to disclose their vaccination status. Read The Bill Here.
  • S.B. 732 by Sen. Blake Johnson 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. 736 by Sen. Bob Ballinger and Rep. Joshua Bryant requires employers to provide certain exemptions for employees who decline to utilize a COVID-19 vaccine. Read The Bill Here.
  • S.B. 737 by Sen. Alan Clark prohibits private employers and places of public accommodation from mandating COVID-19 vaccines or discriminating against those who decline to utilize a COVID-19 vaccine. Read The Bill Here.
  • S.B. 738 by Sen. Alan Clark prohibits private employers and places of public accommodation from mandating COVID-19 vaccines or discriminating against those who decline to utilize a COVID-19 vaccine. Read The Bill Here.
  • S.B. 739 by Sen. Kim Hammer and Rep. Joshua Bryant requires employers to provide certain exemptions for employees who decline to utilize a COVID-19 vaccine. Read The Bill Here.
  • S.B. 740 by Sen. Alan Clark prohibits private employers and places of public accommodation from mandating COVID-19 vaccines or discriminating against those who decline to utilize a COVID-19 vaccine. Read The Bill Here.
  • H.B. 1972 by Rep. Joshua Bryant and Sen. Bob Ballinger requires employers to provide certain exemptions for employees who decline to utilize a COVID-19 vaccine. Read The Bill Here.
  • H.B. 1973 by Rep. Joshua Bryant and Sen. Bob Ballinger requires employers to provide certain exemptions for employees who decline to utilize a COVID-19 vaccine. Read The Bill Here.
  • H.B. 1977 by Rep. Joshua Bryant and Sen. Bob Ballinger requires employers to provide certain exemptions for employees who decline to utilize a COVID-19 vaccine. Read The Bill Here.