Legislative Roundup: March 4, 2022

Most legislative sessions are now in full swing, and AIM continues to stand ready to support you as you navigate these potentially challenging waters. View the short video of tips for testifying before state legislatures below, and please reach out to AIM Chief Policy and Government Relations Officer Brent Ewig with any requests for assistance.

As of March 2, at least 497 immunization-related bills have been introduced or carried over from previous sessions. The action appears to be happening in every state except three, and at least 24 bills have been recently enacted.

While too soon to definitively identify any new trends, the focus on prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine requirements and efforts to expand exemptions continues. Examples of recently enacted bills include the following:

• An individual may object to the administration of a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine based on religious, medical, or other grounds. (AK)
• An act prohibiting the mandatory disclosure of whether a person has received a vaccination for COVID-19 and disqualifying certain entities from receiving state grants or contracts if noncompliant. (IA)
• Requiring employers who impose COVID-19 vaccine requirements to allow medical and religious exemptions, providing for waiver requests, 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. (KS)
• Prohibiting discrimination based on vaccine status or possessing an immunity passport. (MT)

Finally, while it is unclear how this might affect state legislation, Politico recently reported that at least five states that previously opposed the concept of so-called vaccine passports are now quietly embracing the technology behind them.