MISSOURI — House Sends Bills to Protect Missourians’ Freedoms to the Senate (HB 1686 and HB 2358 & 1485) Two bills designed to protect Missourians from mandates that would take away their right to decide whether to receive a COVID-19 vaccination are now on their way to the Senate. The House approved both HB 1686 and HB 2358 & 1485 Wednesday morning.
HB 1686 would make it clear that public entities such as government agencies and public schools cannot require a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment. It also prohibits fines or other penalties based on an individual’s vaccination status. Additionally, it reaffirms an employee’s right to raise a religious objection to receiving a vaccination.
The bill’s sponsor said the legislation is a response to the “heavy-handed intrusion from government” that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said, “The point of this bill is not whether or not you should take the COVID-19 vaccination. This bill doesn’t make it any more difficult for anyone to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The point of this bill is about the danger of concentrating power in government and about what values we should consider to protect as we consider the people we protect – values like personal liberty, informed consent, the right of the people to make decisions for their own lives, and common sense.”
The House also approved HB 2358 & 1485 to clearly affirm the right of an employee to receive an exemption from a COVID-19 vaccine requirement if the employee requests one based on certain sincerely held beliefs. The bill clarifies the religious exemption includes theistic as well as non-theistic beliefs. The bill would require an employer to provide reasonable accommodations for the request unless clear and convincing evidence proves it would cause an undue hardship or be a direct threat to other employees or customers.
The bill’s sponsor said, “The heart and soul of this bill recognizes religious freedom. It recognizes in Missouri what is federal law – that the employee gets to make that decision about what their strong and sincere beliefs are. Most importantly, this bill is a lifeline to those many businesses that want to work with their employees; that want to give them reasonable accommodations.”
HB 2358 & 1485 also ensures an employee who is injured, disabled, or killed due to an employer-required COVID-19 vaccination would be compensated. The bill would treat the injuries resulting from the vaccine as an occupational disease. Additionally, an employee terminated or discharged for failing to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination requirement would still be eligible for unemployment benefits.
Providing Direct Access to Physical Therapy (HB 1555)
Missourians would have their access to important health care services expanded under legislation approved this week by the Missouri House of Representatives. Lawmakers approved HB 1555 to give Missourians direct access to physical therapy without the need for a referral from a doctor.
The sponsor of the bill told his colleagues, “Right now we have to receive a prescription, or a referral, from a doctor before we can get physical therapy, and unfortunately that takes a lot of time, costs a lot of money. It could be weeks before we get in to our physician to get a referral. So what this bill does is it eliminates that requirement and provides direct access to health care that is both efficient and affordable.”
Under the bill, physical therapists would no longer need a prescription or referral from a doctor in order to evaluate and initiate treatment on a patient, as long as the physical therapist has a doctorate of physical therapy degree or has five years of clinical practice as a physical therapist.
The bill would require a physical therapist to refer any patient who doesn’t demonstrate measurable improvement after 10 visits or 21 business days to a health care provider. The bill also requires a physical therapist to consult with an approved health care provider before continuing therapy if after 10 visits or 21 business days the patient has demonstrated measurable or functional improvement from the physical therapy and the physical therapist believes that continuation of physical therapy is necessary.
Supplemental Budget Bill Headed to the Governor’s Desk (HB 3014)
The General Assembly has given final approval to a supplemental spending plan that will provide vital funding for K-12 schools and the state’s Medicaid program, as well as a pay increase for state employees. With the governor’s signature, HB 3014 will authorize nearly $4.6 billion in funding to be utilized in the current fiscal year that ends in June.
The bill includes more than $2.2 billion in funding for K-12 schools in Missouri. That total includes nearly $1.8 billion in Elementary and Secondary Education Relief funds that are allocated to local education agencies. With this, Missouri’s school districts are fully funded. The bill also includes more than $444 million for the Office of Childhood for stabilization services.
HB 3014 also includes more than $1.5 billion in funding for the state’s MO HealthNet program. The funds are necessary to avoid a funding shortfall in the program due to the increased Medicaid population that resulted from Medicaid expansion.
Additionally, the bill allocates nearly $99 million for a pay increase for all state employees. During public hearings in the Budget Committee, members learned state jobs have a 26% turnover rate, and a more than 55% turnover rate in jobs that pay less than $30,000 annually. The plan approved by the General Assembly will ensure state employees receive at least a 5.5% pay raise. The House Budget Committee chairman said the bill makes an investment in the state workforce “to help retain and attract talented employees.”
The bill is now set to go into effect with the governor’s signature.
Representative Chad Perkins
Proudly Serving the 40th House District
Lincoln, Monroe, Pike, & Ralls Counties
Missouri House of Representatives
573-751-4028