(The Center Square) – A state senator wants to exempt Oklahoma workers already in their jobs from any new vaccine or other health-care related mandates imposed by their employers.
State Sen. Blake Cowboy Stephens, R-Tahlequah, introduced Senate Bill 1128, the “Employee Liberty and Freedom Act,” according to a news release posted on the Oklahoma Senate's website.
The measure would not ban employers from instituting such mandates for future workers, only those employees currently on the job.
“My heart goes out to the hardworking employees who’ve spent decades on the job only to be told they have to get a shot or they’ll be fired,” Stephens said in a statement accompanying the release. “For older workers, they may not be able to find another job in their field. My bill simply says that you cannot change the rules on your existing employees. If an employer wants to start requiring a vaccine as a condition of employment, it can’t be applied retroactively – it would only apply to new hires who would know what the rules were from day one.”
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed across the U.S. challenging President Joe Biden's private sector vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 or more employees. Federal courts to date have halted Biden's private sector mandate, citing constitutional concerns, though the cases are likely to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Stephens' measure would apply to private businesses that decide to institute their own mandates.
The Oklahoma legislature convenes its 2022 session in February.
via Oklahoma's Center Square News
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