INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WLFI)-House Bill 1001 addresses several different aspects of COVID-19. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce is most concerned about the part of the bill that would expand the criteria for employees to become exempt from taking the COVID-19 vaccine if their employer requires it.
"It really would serve to discourage employers from imposing vaccination mandates," said President and CEO of The Indiana Chamber of Commerce Kevin Brinegar.
The legislation allows for medical exemptions if a health professional provides documentation. It also allows for religious exemptions, but it puts new protocols in place for employees asking for it.
"It can require them to sign a document or have some sort of documentation on file that they have signed that they are taking this religious exemption," said State Representative Matt Lehman the author of the bill. "Then it basically says once they have done that as required by section 5 in this chapter you can take no further inquiry. So you can't require it to be signed by some outside party."
That portion of the legislation is concerning the chamber. They feel it is too broad and will allow anyone to not get the vaccine just because they don't want to.
"If we want to put a religious and medical exemption in state statute then at least reference the federal statute and guideline that have been in place and employers have been using for decades rather than now having two separate standards that you have to comply with," said Brinegar.Â
The third exemption option would allow employees to submit to weekly testing, but this legislation would require employers to foot the bill if an employee chooses this exemption option. The Chamber says this is its biggest objection to the bill.
"Those costs from some of the estimates I've received from members exorbitant in a very short period of time," said Brinegar.
The fourth option for exemption would be immunity. Meaning, if someone has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 6 months and can prove it through documentation, they could now be exempt from taking the vaccine. The Chamber feels businesses should be able to do as they please without state or federal interference.
"The strong message from our members is they prefer to just be left alone and let them make those decisions not to be told what to do by federal or state government," said Brinegar.
The Chamber says they don't support federal mandates by the Government either. It says it's currently discussing the language of the bill with state legislators. The first day of the session is January 4th. To read the bill in full click here. To watch testimony about the bill click here.Â
