After a year of concerns over COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley told Radio Iowa that his caucus is in wait-and-see mode.
“I remind everyone with this topic, we did take some significant action to make sure we could provide that level of support for Iowans who maybe wanted to make an alternative choice,” Grassley said.
There has been a committee, spearheaded by Rep. Jon Jacobsen, tackling the issue. But before House Republicans decide what to do, or not do, Grassley said legislators will pause to see if the courts undo the Biden vaccine mandates.
It is unknown whether the courts will dive into private vaccine mandates from employers, however.
In October, Iowa lawmakers passed a bill that would require businesses to honor religious and medical exemptions from employees. However, companies have told employees that the federal rule trumps state law.
The law passed in October also allowed employees to file for unemployment should they be terminated due to their vaccination status.
However, The Iowa Standard has heard from workers across the state about various ways employers may be trying to skirt the law.
Employees may be placed on unpaid leave. They may have to pay for their own weekly testing. They have to mask. They may not be allowed to come to work and then will be fired for attendance issues.
All of these are concerns The Iowa Standard has heard from Iowans.
While some Iowa Republican lawmakers would prefer to prohibit the vaccine requirements at work completely, Grassley told Radio Iowa courts have already blocked a couple of federal vaccine mandates and Gov. Kim Reynolds is calling on the Supreme Court to decide on another.
“So as far as a bill that would completely ban it…see how that plays out,” Grassley said.
Grassley, while you are waiting to see how this plays out in the courts, people are losing their jobs NOW. I notice YOU are not losing your job. Do you know what it is like to lose your career or your job? Do you? While your elected representatives sit on their hands and do nothing.
States rights are above federal mandates.
Our businesses should not be able to make mandates that rob us of our civil rights.
DO SOMETHING TO PRESERVE OUR JOBS. NOW.