On Monday, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill 1169, affirming his supportive stance on COVID vaccine mandate. S.B. 1169 dictates that the state's Health Care Right of Conscience Act can no longer be used to challenge COVID vaccine mandates or other actions taken by businesses or employers to "prevent contraction or transmission of COVID-19."
In a statement released on Monday, the Democrat leader said that the measure was established to ensure that the law "cannot be abused or misinterpreted to jeopardize workplace safety." S.B. 1169 will take effect on June 1, 2022. In the statement, Gov. Pritzker described "masks, vaccines, and testing requirements" as "lifesaving measures that keep our workplaces and communities safe."
Gov. Pritzker also commended the General Assembly, whose leadership opposed the idea that the amended law would make it more challenging for people to claim religious exemptions to COVID vaccines, for "ensuring that the Health Care Right of Conscience Act is no longer wrongly used against institutions who are putting safety and science first."
According to the Christian Post, State House Speaker Chris Welch said in a statement shared by the governor's office that there were "deliberate attempts to misinform the public" about the nature of S.B. 1169, arguing that the law does take away "anyone's rights to claim religious or medical exemption, which are protected by federal law."
Democratic State Representative Robyn Gabel agreed, explaining that S.B. 1169 does not take anyone's right to claim religious exemptions from COVID vaccine mandates, but instead "prevents a small group of people from distorting the meaning of the Health Care Right of Consciousness Act."
The Democrat-controlled Senate of Illinois voted for S.B. 1169 with a 31-24 tally on October 28, with six Democrats joining mostly Republicans in opposing the measure. Meanwhile, four Democrats abstained from voting.
The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives also passed the bill after a 64-52 vote just a day before the Senate voted. Seven Democratic representatives joined all Republicans in opposing the measure, while two Democrats refused to vote.
The Illinois Department of Health reported that 72.7% of its population aged 18 and above have been fully vaccinated against COVID, accounting for about 7.1 million people. 79.1% of those aged 18 and above have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed based on data that Illinois ranks as the 21st state with the highest vaccination rates among 50 states.
The new law preventing people from challenging vaccine mandates comes after the Biden administration announced new COVID vaccine requirements that affects businesses with at least 100 employees. Under President Biden's order, businesses must require employees to get the jab or be subjected to weekly COVID testing. The Biden administration now faces lawsuits from several states that oppose the COVID vaccine requirement for businesses.
