The rollout of new vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic has brought public health laws into the spotlight, leading Tennessee legislators to consider an array of bills that could impact inoculation policies in the state.
Two bills gaining the most traction – Senate Bill 0187 and House Bill 0013 – would take away state and local governments’ ability to require a person to get a COVID-19 vaccine, including in schools.
The bills also add language around vaccine exemptions, which are allowed for people who object based on religious grounds, by adding the phrase “right of conscience” as a reason to refuse vaccination.
Both bills have already passed in committee and are set to go before the full House and Senate this week.
Whether to take a COVID-19 vaccine now is voluntary in Tennessee, and Gov. Bill Lee has indicated he has no desire to mandate vaccination. However, states have the legal authority to do so, and bill sponsor Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, wants to make sure that doesn’t happen for the coronavirus vaccines.