# Plain Language Summary: Stop Vaccine Mandates Act

This bill would prevent the federal government from requiring people to get vaccinated as a condition of employment, receiving benefits, or accessing services. It would apply to all vaccines, not just COVID-19 vaccines, and would block federal agencies from enforcing vaccine requirements on their own employees or contractors. The bill would also prohibit the federal government from withholding federal funding from states, schools, hospitals, or other institutions that don't enforce vaccine mandates themselves.

The practical effect would be that no federal agency could fire someone for refusing vaccination, and no organization receiving federal money could be penalized for allowing unvaccinated employees or patients. For example, a hospital that receives Medicare funding couldn't be threatened with losing that money if it employed unvaccinated staff. Similarly, federal workers couldn't face job loss or suspension for declining vaccines. The bill creates broad protections for people who choose not to be vaccinated, making it illegal for the federal government to use its funding power or employment authority to encourage vaccination compliance.

This would represent a significant shift from current practice, where federal agencies and many institutions have implemented vaccine requirements for certain positions or services. The bill doesn't prevent private employers or organizations from setting their own vaccine policies—it only restricts what the federal government itself can do. However, by preventing the federal government from conditioning funding on vaccine requirements, it would indirectly limit vaccine mandates at hospitals, schools, and other institutions that depend on federal dollars.

Stop Vaccine Mandates Act

Lankford, James

Stop Vaccine Mandates Act This bill rescinds the executive order titled Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors and the executive order titled Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees, both published on September 9, 2021. The bill provides that these executive orders shall have no force or effect.