Iowa governor signs vaccine mandate exemption bill into law
ABC News
Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed into law a bill that allows Iowa workers to seek medical and religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates and guarantees that those who are fired for refusing a vaccine will qualify for unemployment benefits
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday signed into law a bill that allows Iowa workers to seek medical and religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates and guarantees that those who are fired for refusing a vaccine will qualify for unemployment benefits.
Reynolds signed the bill a day after the Iowa Legislature passed it in a one-day special session convened to pass the state's redistricting maps. The law becomes effective immediately.
Reynolds has opposed government requirements for masks and vaccines, even though COVID-19 has killed nearly 7,000 people in Iowa and medical science has shown both tools to be effective in reducing the spread of the coronavirus.
She said in a statement that “no Iowan should be forced to lose their job or livelihood over the COVID-19 vaccine.”
