Bills targeting employee vaccination requirements advance through Senate panel

Senate Bill 765, by Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, is dubbed the “Privacy and Conscience Protection Act.”

It would make it a misdemeanor for employers who mandate vaccinations not to provide a privacy exemption and allow employees to refuse disclosure of vaccination status, with a fine of up to $100 for each violation.

It would apply to both public and private employers, and it would bar discrimination or discipline against employees who refuse to disclose their vaccination status.

“I have had people come to me who have gotten attacked because they are vaccinated,” Bullard said. “The goal of this is to protect the privacy of an individual.”

Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said he was concerned that the measure would result in federal funds being withheld from Oklahoma health care facilities by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services based on federal requirements.

“The consequences are dire,” Paxton said, adding that the measure would add the burden to small businesses and would be everything but business friendly.

Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, said the measure would apply only to businesses that require vaccinations.

Bergstrom said it seems that some are suggesting the best policy would be to surrender the beliefs of Oklahoma residents and their privacy rights due to fear of possible bureaucratic overreach and acts of vengeance by an agency with tremendous power.

The president of the State Chamber of Oklahoma criticized the bill.

“It is baffling that some in the Legislature want to charge business owners with a misdemeanor for simply having safety standards in their organizations,” said Chad Warmington, president and CEO of the State Chamber.

“SB 765 is far worse than the Biden-type mandates the U.S. courts halted weeks ago,” he said. “State government should not penalize job creators through ridiculous and unnecessary mandates, and that is exactly what this bill would do.”

The bill passed by a vote of 7-4 and now heads to the Senate for possible consideration.

The panel also passed Senate Bill 1128, by Sen. Blake Stephens, R-Tahlequah, which would bar vaccinations as a condition of continued employment. The measure is dubbed the “Employee Liberty and Freedom Act.”

It passed by a vote of 6-4 and also heads to the Senate for consideration.

Stephens said mandated work-safety equipment such as a hard hat, safety clothing and boots all can be taken off at the end of the work day but that a vaccine cannot be removed.

“This is about liberties for our individuals,” he said.

The State Chamber opposes both bills.

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