# Plain Language Summary: Fairness for Federal Contractors Act of 2021

This bill would prevent the federal government from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for people who work on government contracts. Essentially, if a company has a contract to do work for the federal government—whether that's building infrastructure, providing services, supplying goods, or anything else—this bill says the government cannot make vaccination a condition of that contract. It applies to employees at all levels of these contractor companies, including subcontractors working on smaller pieces of the larger project.

The practical effect would be significant for millions of workers. Any company with federal contracts—from defense contractors to construction firms to IT service providers—would no longer be able to enforce vaccination requirements that came from federal mandates. This could affect defense workers, border patrol support staff, prison employees, healthcare workers on federal contracts, and many others across different industries. The bill essentially strips away the government's ability to use contract requirements as a tool to enforce health and safety protocols related to COVID-19.

The bill also includes a requirement for a government study to examine what happened when the previous federal contractor vaccine mandate was in place. This study would look at whether the mandate disrupted contract work, caused job losses, affected supply chains, increased costs, or created problems for federal agencies that depend on contractors. The study would need to be completed within six months and submitted to Congress.

In essence, this bill represents a significant shift in how the federal government can manage health requirements for its contractors, removing vaccination mandates as a condition of doing business with the government.

Fairness for Federal Contractors Act of 2021

Comer, James

Fairness for Federal Contractors Act of 2021 This bill prohibits executive agencies from requiring contractors to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to study the degree to which Executive Order 14042 (Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors) caused disruptions to federal contracts, supply chains, and transportation systems.