HB19 would prohibit any entity that receives federal funds from specified COVID-19 relief laws from requiring employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The bill applies to entities that received money under several major pandemic-era statutes, including the CARES Act, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
If an entity covered by the bill violates the vaccine-mandate ban, it would be required to return the federal funds it received from the COVID relief packages. In effect, the bill ties eligibility for those funds to a prohibition on employee COVID-19 vaccination mandates, creating a financial penalty for covered organizations that maintain such requirements.
Impact
The bill would impose a new federal restriction on recipients of COVID-relief funding by conditioning those funds on the absence of employee COVID-19 vaccine mandates. It would affect public and private entities that received money under the listed pandemic relief laws, and could require repayment of those funds if they are found to be in violation. The measure would not amend the underlying relief statutes directly, but would create an additional compliance condition tied to those federal appropriations and assistance programs.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or bipartisan support in the available record. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to reflect opposition to employer vaccine mandates and a preference for limiting COVID-era public health requirements on federally funded entities. The absence of recorded votes or hearing discussion means the overall legislative sentiment cannot be assessed beyond the sponsor's stated policy position.
Contention
The central point of contention is whether entities that accepted federal pandemic relief should be barred from imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates on employees. Supporters would likely view the bill as protecting employee choice and preventing federal relief dollars from being used by employers to enforce vaccination requirements, while opponents would likely argue it interferes with employer workplace policies and public health measures. Another likely dispute is the repayment penalty, which could be seen as a strong enforcement mechanism but also as a punitive condition on funds already received.
This bill prohibits any entity that receives specified COVID-19 relief funds from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for its employees. An entity that violates this prohibition must return the funding it received.
Amending The Majority Caucus Leadership, Minority Caucus Leadership, And Chairs, Vice Chairs, And Members Of The Standing Committees Of The House Of Representatives Of The Thirty-third Legislature.
Freedom from Mandates Act This bill nullifies certain executive orders regarding COVID-19 safety and prohibits the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services (HHS) from taking specified actions with respect to vaccination against COVID-19. Specifically, the bill nullifies Executive Order 14042 (relating to ensuring adequate COVID-19 safety protocols for federal contractors) and Executive Order 14043 (requiring COVID-19 vaccination for federal employees). Labor may not issue any rule requiring employers to mandate vaccination of employees against COVID-19 or requiring testing of employees who are unvaccinated. HHS may not (1) require a health care provider, as a condition of participation in the Medicare or Medicaid program, to mandate vaccination of employees against COVID-19 or require testing of employees who are unvaccinated; or (2) otherwise penalize such a provider for failure to mandate such vaccination or require such testing.