Iowa lawmakers pass vaccine mandate exemption bill

The Iowa Legislature has passed a bill that requires businesses to allow employees to seek medical and religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Iowa employees could seek medical and religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates and those who are fired for refusing a vaccine would be guaranteed unemployment benefits under a bill approved Thursday by the Iowa Legislature.

The bill was released just minutes before lawmakers met for a special session convened to address redistricting.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has called for legislative action on vaccine mandates. She has opposed government requirements for masks and vaccines even as COVID-19 has killed nearly 7,000 people in Iowa and medical science has shown both tools to be effective in reducing the virus spread.

Reynolds said in a statement after the bill passed that she planned to sign it, calling it “a major step forward in protecting Iowans’ freedoms and their abilities to make healthcare decisions based on what’s best for themselves and their families.”