Several Bills Filed Addressing COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates in Arkansas

File photo from March 2021.

The Arkansas Legislature convened in extended session on Wednesday morning.

Among other measures, lawmakers have filed several pieces of legislation addressing COVID-19 vaccination mandates in Arkansas.

Here is a snapshot of some of the legislation that is currently in play:

  • 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.

On Wednesday afternoon the Senate Public Health Committee voted to “batch” 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 — meaning that they will go directly to the Arkansas Senate for consideration on Thursday.

What Should I Do If the Nursing Home Won’t Let Me Visit My Loved One?

With surges in COVID-19, nursing homes are once again telling people they can’t visit their loved ones.

It is important that you know your rights.

Under a new law passed this year, nursing home residents cannot be denied visitors.

Ministers and clergy have a right to visit nursing home residents, and friends and family members can visit their loved ones as well.

If you or someone you know has been turned away from visiting in a nursing home here are some suggestions:

Read These Documents

Read Act 311 of 2021, the No Patient Left Alone Act.

After that, read the Arkansas Department of Health’s information regarding Act 311.

Finally, review the federal CMS guidelines for nursing home visitation.

These documents make it clear that nursing home residents can have compassionate care visits with friends and family members — even during an outbreak — and they will help you understand how you can visit your loved one.

Go To The Administrator

Go directly to the facility administrator and ask to be allowed to visit as allowed by the compassionate care provisions of the law and federal guidelines.

Compassionate care visits are allowed for the wellbeing of the resident. The same is true with clergy visits for spiritual wellbeing.

If you are not allowed to visit, go directly to the owner of the facility and make the same appeal.

Ask for Help

If necessary get a lawyer to contact the owner of the facility on your behalf.

Remember that nursing homes are not prisons. The people who live there have rights — and so do family members.

Here are some organizations you may find helpful:

Family Council
(501) 375-7000
www.familycouncil.org
Click on the No Patient Left Alone Act

To report nursing home abuse:

Office of Long Term Care
(501) 508-8857
www.AROmbudsman.com

Arkansas Advocates for Nursing Home Residents
(501) 607-8976

Photo Credit: Billy Calzada from San Antonio, Texas, USA, PDM-owner, via Wikimedia Commons.