Join us in celebrating new laws passed in eleven additional states since May 2021 bringing it to a total of 23 states with new laws to strengthen protection of individual rights to refuse unwanted medical interventions!

In 2020, the government’s response to the pandemic brought up an urgent need for additional laws to address health freedom protections.  Right to Refuse legislation was introduced in many states to prohibit infringements on health freedom, and each bill was unique to that state or legislative concern.  There are many types of Right to Refuse legislative solutions.  Health freedom covers a diverse area of law and includes the right to decline government and corporate-recommended health measures and treatments including testing, tracking, medical treatments, immunizations, and other recommended countermeasures.  

Click Here to read the Archived May 2021 article on the first 12 states to pass Right to Refuse laws.  See below for the additional bills now passed. Click Here on the Righttorefuse.org website to see what laws have passed in your state and to get involved to pass protective legislation in your state!

The following is a description and links to the most recent new state laws passed since May 2021:

Alabama

Alabama SB9 (Second Special Session Enrolled November 4, 2021)
To require employers to allow employees to claim an exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination for medical reasons or sincerely held religious beliefs; to provide for submission of a standard form requesting the exemption; to provide standard language for the exemption form; to prohibit an employer from requiring a COVID-19 vaccine if an exemption form is completed and submitted; to authorize appeals to an administrative law judge for the Department of Labor for denials of exemptions; to require the Department of Labor to adopt an emergency rule; to provide an appeal of determinations by the administrative law judge; to generally provide for compensation of employees; and to provide for repeal of the act on a certain date.

Arizona

Arizona SB1824 (Signed by Governor June 30, 2021)
Budget reconciliation; vaccines included. EUA vaccine not required for school attendance. Vaccines must be required by rule prior to mandate. Government entities may not establish vaccine passports or require vaccine status. When employee has sincere religious beliefs against vaccine, employer to accommodate.

Arkansas

Arkansas HB1977 (Became Law October 13, 2021)

Exemption from employer vaccine mandates must include options to allow employee to provide negative COVID test or proof of immunity.

Arkansas SB739 (Became Law October 13, 2021)

Exemption from federal and employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates to allow employee to provide for negative test or natural immunity.

Florida

Florida House Bill 1 (Effective November 18, 2021)

Prohibits private employers from imposing COVID-19 vaccination mandate for certain employees; requires employer to exempt certain employees from vaccination; authorizes employee who is terminated to file complaint with DLA; requires AG to impose administrative fine for violations; specifies eligibility for reemployment assistance for unlawfully terminated employee; prohibits educational institutions & elected or appointed local officials from imposing COVID-19 vaccination mandates on students; provides right of action to obtain declaratory judgment & injunctive relief for violations; prohibits educational institutions & governmental entities from imposing COVID-19 vaccination mandates for employees; declares null & void any ordinance, rule, or policy that imposes mandates; specifies eligibility for reemployment assistance for unlawfully terminated employee; prohibits mandating facial coverings or restricting certain activities for students based on quarantine policies; provides parents may allow their children to wear facial coverings; prohibits district school boards, district school superintendents, & elected or appointed local officials from prohibiting employees from returning to work or subjecting employees to restrictions or disparate treatment.

Florida House Bill 3 (Effective November 18, 2021)

Pub. Rec./COVID-19 Vaccination Policies and Practices: Provides exemption from public records requirements for employee complaints alleging private employer’s violation of state law regarding employer COVID-19 vaccination policies or practices & all information held by DLA pursuant to active investigation of such complaints; defines “active”; specifies information that remains confidential & exempt after investigation is completed or ceases to be active; authorizes release of confidential & exempt information to governmental entities for specified purpose; provides for future repeal of exemption; provides statement of public necessity.

Florida House Bill 7 (Effective November 18, 2021)

Vaccinations During Public Health Emergencies: Removes authority of State Health Officer to order vaccination of individuals upon declaration of public health emergency; revises requirement that DOH adopt certain rules.

Iowa 

Iowa HF902 (Signed by Governor October 29, 2021)

Employer shall waive COVID-19 vaccine mandate for: 1) A statement that receiving the vaccine would be injurious to the health and well-being of the employee or an individual residing with the employee, or 2) A statement that receiving the vaccine would conflict with the tenets and practices of a religion of which the employee is an adherent or member.

Kansas

Kansas SB159 (Effective June 1, 2021)

Omnibus budget bill. No money may be spent: 1) for COVID-19 passports issued without consent, 2) to require the use of a COVID-19 vaccine passport, or 3) to deny access to any publicly-accessible place based on COVID-19 vaccine status.

Kansas HB2001 (Special Session, Passed and approved by the Governor Nov 23, 2021)
Requiring employers who impose COVID-19 vaccine requirements to allow medical and religious exemptions, providing for waiver requests and authorizing a complaint and investigation process with the secretary of labor for violations related to exemptions, enforcement actions by the attorney general and civil penalties to be imposed by a court for such violations.

Michigan

Michigan HB4400 (Approved by Governor September 29, 2021)
Community Colleges with vaccine requirement must exempt: Any student for whom a physician certifies that a COVID-19 vaccine is or may be detrimental to the student’s health or is not appropriate; Any student who provides a written statement to the effect that the requirements of the COVID-19 vaccine policy cannot be met because of religious convictions or other consistently held objection to immunization.

Michigan SB82 (Approved by Governor September 29, 2021)
Budget bill. No COVID-19 passports, no vaccine requirement for public employment; if COVID-19 vaccine mandated, must have exemptions for health, religious belief, or consistently held objections to immunization.

Missouri

Missouri SB46 (Passed May 13, 2021)
No entity in this state shall require documentation of an individual having received a vaccination  against any disease in order for the individual to access  transportation systems or services, including but not limited to buses, air travel, rail travel, taxicab or limousine services, prearranged rides as defined in section 387.400, other public transportation, or any public  transportation facilities, including but not limited to bus and airport facilities.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire HB220 (Passed May 27, 2021)
Establishing medical freedom in medical interventions and immunizations. Medical Freedom. Every person has the inalienable right to bodily integrity, free from any threat or compulsion that the person accepts any medical intervention, including immunization. No person may be discriminated against for refusal to accept an unwanted medical intervention, including immunization.

Oregon

Oregon HB3284 (Effective June 15, 2021)
Prohibits covered organization from collecting, using or disclosing personal health data about resident individual who has not given affirmative express consent for collection, use or disclosure unless in context of employment relationship or to comply with legal obligation, or unless personal health data was lawfully available to public from federal, state or local government records, was collected before emergency period for reasons other than tracking, monitoring or tracing resident individual’s exposure to or infection by SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 or has been deidentified in accordance with federal law.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma SB658 (Approved by Governor May 28, 2021)
An Act relating to schools, which relates to required immunizations; No vaccine mandate or vaccine passport allowed; requiring the State Department of Education and school districts to provide certain information to parents; updating statutory term; prohibiting certain entities from implementing specified requirements; establishing criteria for certain entities to implement a mask mandate; specifying requirements for mandate; providing for codification; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

Tennessee

Tennessee SB0187/HB0013 (Became law June 1, 2021)
Prohibits state and local authorities from forcing, requiring, or coercing a person to receive an immunization or vaccination for COVID-19 against the person’s will.

Texas

Texas SB968 (Effective June 16, 2021)
A governmental entity in this state may not issue a vaccine passport, vaccine pass, or other standardized documentation to certify an individual ’s COVID-19 vaccination status to a third party for a purpose other than health care or otherwise publish or share any individual ’s COVID-19 immunization record or similar health information for a purpose other than health care. A business in this state may not require a customer to provide any documentation certifying the customer ’s COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery on entry to, to gain access to, or to receive service from the business. A business that fails to comply with this subsection is not eligible to receive a grant or enter into a contract payable with state funds.

Utah

Utah HB1007 (Governor signed May 28, 2021)
Prohibits a face covering requirement in the system of higher education and in the public education system.

Utah SB2004 (Governor signed November 16, 2021)
An employer who requires an employee or prospective employee to receive or show proof that the employee or prospective employee has received a COVID-19 vaccine shall relieve the employee or prospective employee of the requirement if the employee or prospective employee submits to the employer a statement that receiving a COVID-19 vaccine would: (a) be injurious to the health and well-being of the employee or prospective employee; (b) conflict with a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance of the employee or prospective employee; or (c) conflict with a sincerely held personal belief of the employee or prospective employee.

West Virginia

West Virginia HB335 (Became law on November 2, 2021)
Relating to COVID-19 immunizations requirements for employment in the public and private sectors; providing for exemptions; setting forth a process and an exemption for medical contraindications; setting forth a process and an exemption for those with religious beliefs that prevent an employee or prospective employee from taking a COVID-19 vaccine; prohibiting discrimination for exercising an exemption.

Wyoming

Wyoming HB1002 (Became law November 12, 2021)
Prohibiting the enforcement of federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates as specified; providing limitations on requiring COVID-19 vaccinations; providing definitions; authorizing litigation to protect the rights of Wyoming citizens as specified.

Special Note: Additional Right to Refuse bills were passed in some states and either are awaiting Governor signatures or enactment, or they may have been vetoed and have been sent back to legislative chambers for consideration for an over-ride of the vetoes. Those would include bills in Alabama, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania.