Senator Shamp Fights Back Against Experimental Vaccine Mandates with New Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, February 6, 2023

Senator Shamp Fights Back Against Experimental Vaccine Mandates

with New Bill

PHOENIX, ARIZONA— The Arizona State Senate is advancing a bill aimed at protecting Arizona citizens from certain vaccine mandates that interfere with religious and personal convictions of all employees within our state.

SB 1250 (employers; vaccines; religious exemptions), sponsored by Senator Janae Shamp, would require all employers to provide their workers with an opportunity to claim a religious exemption from receiving a mandated COVID-19, flu or any other "Emergency Use Authorized" vaccine. More importantly, the bill prohibits an employer from inquiring into the validity of an employee's religious beliefs, or from discriminating against an employee because of their vaccination status.

Vaccine mandates handed down by the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic were overreaching and forced many Arizonans to make the difficult decision of choosing to receive an experimental, emergency authorized use vaccination in order to maintain employment or attend school. Furthermore, these vaccine mandates were handed down and implemented with little to no respect for an individual's right to honor their sincere religious and personal beliefs.

While many employers of varying industries in our state offered accommodations for those who abstained from vaccination, and also granted employees religious and personal belief exemptions from vaccination requirements, those working in healthcare settings were largely forced to comply and get vaccinated or face termination from their jobs.

"It's sickening that many healthcare workers, like myself, lost our jobs because we refused to take the jab," said Senator Shamp. "The COVID-19 vaccine has not been on the market long enough to determine if there is a correlation between its ingredients and medical issues a number of patients are now experiencing after getting the shot. We already have a dire shortage of medical professionals within Arizona, and these mandates have only exacerbated the crisis."

This bill is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Health & Human Services Committee on Tuesday, February 7 at 2 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 1. The public is encouraged to attend.

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For more information, contact:

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus

kquintero@azleg.gov