School districts in the area have or are considering vaccination mandates while local city and county governments continue to apply them. Manufacturing and business with over 100 employees are finding themselves having to overburden their Human Resources with compliance paperwork and enforcement. A group of legislators from the Iowa House are proposing legislation that would bar Iowa businesses from hiring and firing anyone based on their vaccination status.
The bill would prohibit businesses from asking if an employee has been vaccinated and it would be illegal for businesses to keep records of an employee’s vaccination status. Republican Representative Jon Jacobsen of Council Bluffs says the bill would be simple to implement and protects Iowans from what he described as the tyrannical reach of the federal government. Republican Representative Mark Cisneros of Muscatine says Covid mandates have created hardships for many Iowans and there’s no need to wait for court rulings because the Iowa legislature has the power to take action. On Tuesday, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds and House Speaker Pat Grassley said the legislature should wait until the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling on the lawsuit challenging federal Covid vaccination requirements for large businesses.
