# Plain Language Summary: The AMERICANS Act

This bill changes the rules around COVID-19 vaccine requirements in the military. Specifically, it addresses what happens to service members who refused to get vaccinated and were discharged or punished because of that refusal.

The bill makes several key changes. First, it says the military can no longer take any adverse action against service members simply because they won't get a COVID-19 vaccine. This includes discharge, punishment, retaliation, being forced to wear masks, or being assigned to substandard housing. Second, if someone was already discharged or punished solely for refusing the vaccine, they can now apply to have their discharge status changed to "honorable" (the best type of discharge), get reinstated to their former rank, have any record of the vaccine-related action removed from their file, and have that time counted toward their military retirement benefits.

The bill also requires the military to make more effort to keep unvaccinated service members in the armed forces and to recognize exemptions based on three things: natural immunity from previous COVID-19 infection, underlying health conditions, and sincerely held religious beliefs. Additionally, the military must report to Congress within 90 days about how many religious exemptions were requested, approved, and denied, broken down by religious denomination.

The protections apply not just to active-duty service members, but also to people enrolled in military academies and ROTC programs (the officer training programs for college students).

AMERICANS Act

Johnson, Mike

Allowing Military Exemptions, Recognizing Individual Concerns About New Shots Act of 2022 or the AMERICANS Act This bill modifies the classification of discharge and remedies available to specified individuals who were discharged for failing to obey an order to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Such individuals include members of the Armed Forces, individuals enrolled at a military service academy, or individuals enrolled in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) or Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (SROTC) program.