25 March 2019 — 0237 mdt
Keith Reiger’s bill to abet vaccination resisters is still alive
Senate Bill 23, introduced by Sen. Keith Regier (R-Kalispell, SD-3) might best be titled “The Increase the Probability that Grandma Will Be Exposed to Influenza in her Nursing Home Act of 2019.” That’s because it’s designed to provide vaccination resisting employees of a business for which vaccination is a condition of employment with a way of keeping their jobs without being vaccinated. Here’s the key language (full text in the iframe below):
Section 1. Reasonable accommodation from mandatory immunizations. If an employer requires employees to be vaccinated against influenza or any other vaccine-preventable disease and offers alternative accommodations to certain employees for medical, OR religious, or other reasons, the employer shall make the same alternative accommodations available to any employee at the employee’s request.
SB-23 passed the MT Senate on a 29–20 partyline vote (one Republican voted “No”) on 1 February. It’s now headed to its second reading in the MT House, having been approved 11–8 on a straight partyline vote by that chamber’s judiciary committee on 21 March.
If SB-23 becomes law, a vaccine abjuring atheist — let’s call him Mike Crowb — who is medically fit to be vaccinated, and goes to chickenpox parties instead of Mass, can go to his employer and say, “Hey Boss, you’ve exempted Prayin’ Annie from getting her flu shot because it’s against her religion. As per Montana law, I’m claiming my right to continue working here without being vaccinated.”
“Why? Because I belong to the Church of Baseball, and vaccination is against my faith, that’s why, Mr. Nanny State, sir, but I don’t really need to give you a reason. The law’s the law. Obey it! I’m entitled to a walk.”
Steam and smoke jetting out his ears and nose, his eyes narrowing to dagger points, the boss hands Mike a surgical mask, growling “wear this goddamned mask every effing second you’re here and don’t sneeze on the patients. Some of them can’t be vaccinated.”
SB-23 creates a de facto, no explanation needed, personal exemption from vaccination, limiting the ability of employers — for example, hospitals, nursing homes, medical practices, law enforcement agencies — to protect their employees, customers, and patients from contagious diseases. That’s the antithesis of responsible public health policy. But it seems to be the official policy of the Montana Republican Party.
I expect near partyline approval in the MT House. Gov. Bullock should veto this assault on public health. Will he?
Official text of SB-23