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New Health freedom legislation for 2024
2024 Session SB 636: Exemptions from Immunization Requirements and SB 680: Protection of Medical Fre
SB 636: Exemptions from Immunization Requirements
GENERAL BILL by Garcia
Exemptions from Immunization Requirements; Authorizing persons to claim an exemption from any immunization requirement if a vaccine meeting specified criteria is not available to fulfill the requirement; authorizing a person to claim the exemption on one’s own behalf or on behalf of one’s child or dependent; prohibiting public and private employers, school districts, the Department of Health, and certain public entities from requiring a person to meet any other conditions to claim the exemption, etc.
Effective Date: Upon becoming a law
Last Action: 12/13/2023 Senate - Referred to Health Policy; Judiciary; Rules
Links: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2024/636
Actions: Contact your State Senators and tell them to support this bill through Co-Sponsorship. Contact your State House Representative and tell them we need this bill to have a house companion bill.
SB 680: Protection of Medical Freedom
GENERAL BILL by Gruters
Protection of Medical Freedom; Prohibiting the Department of Health from requiring enrollment in the state’s immunization registry or otherwise requiring persons to submit to immunization tracking; prohibiting business entities from requiring individuals to provide proof of vaccination or postinfection recovery from any communicable disease to gain access to, entry upon, or service from such entities; adding a person’s vaccination and immunity status to the prohibited forms of discrimination by local housing assistance plans; prohibiting employers from refusing employment to, or discharging, disciplining, demoting, or otherwise discriminating against, an individual solely on the basis of vaccination or immunity status; prohibiting places of public accommodation from discriminating on the basis of vaccination or immunity status; prohibiting the Department of Health from requiring, as a school-entry requirement, that children receive immunizations approved only for emergency use, etc.
Effective Date: 7/1/2024
Last Action: 12/13/2023 Senate - Referred to Judiciary; Health Policy; Rules
Actions: Contact your State Senators and tell them to support this bill through Co-Sponsorship. Contact your State House Representative and tell them we need this bill to have a house companion bill.
Florida Special Session November 2021 - COVID-19 Mandates
Summary of bills passed into Law November 2021.
Vaccinations During Public Health Emergencies
Bill: HB7B
Enacted: Chapter No. 2021-275
Effective Date: 11/18/2021
Position: Supported
Summary: Removed the section in current law that allows the State Health Officer to order the vaccination of individuals upon declaration of a public health emergency.
COVID-19 Mandates
Bill: HB1B
Enacted: Chapter No. 2021-272
Effective Date: 11/18/2021
Position: Opposed (without Amendment)
Summary: Grants private employers the legal authority to mandate vaccines while limiting employee’s ability to refuse to a narrow set of exemptions. The bill prohibits educational institutions and elected or appointed local officials from imposing COVID-19 vaccination on students and educational institutions and state governmental entities or any employees. It prohibits district school boards, district school superintendents, elected or appointed local officials, and district school board employees from mandating facial coverings or restricting certain activities for students based on quarantine policies, but does include exceptions to this law.
Allowing private employer COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates (tied to government exemption forms) is a dangerous slope we have seen with the Childhood vaccination program. Floridians are now beholden to the State and private employers to disclose their private medical and religious practices and demands compliance with either employer mandated vaccination or comply to the state’s limited discriminatory “exemptions” contingent upon employees using official government forms. Moreover, the passing of this bill into law has created a precedent that vaccine mandates are accepted in the state of Florida. Legislators should be protecting us from employers forcing us to disclose this information to keep our jobs. Florida state legislators literally provided a state endorsement of employer vaccine mandates and along with a roadmap to employers on what they need to do to legally mandate vaccines of their employees.
Additionally, legislators provided all public and private teachers protection from vaccine mandates, yet (did not do this for the other private businesses) and gave discrimination protection for vaccinated employees, not unvaccinated employees. Legislators completely disregarded discrimination protection for unvaccinated employees. There is no protection for employees in law for those who don’t want to disclose their vaccination status to their employer or for those who don’t want or need a COVID-19 vaccination from being subjected to discrimination, segregation, harassment, coercion and penalties in the workplace for their decision. We opposed this on the basis that HB1B was not amended to prohibit vaccine mandates.
COVID-19 Vaccination Policies and Practices
Bill: CS/HB3B
Enacted: Chapter No. 2021-273
Effective Date: 11/18/2021
Position: Oppose (required with HB1B passing)
Summary: This law provides an exemption from public records requirements for employee complaints alleging a private employer's violation of state law regarding employer COVID-19 vaccination policies or practices and all information held by the Department of Legal Affairs pursuant to an active investigation of such complaints. We opposed this on the basis that HB1B was not amended to prohibit vaccine mandates.
Florida Occupational Safety and Health State Plan
Bill: HB5B
Enacted: Chapter No. 2021-274
Effective Date: 11/18/2021
Position: N/A
Summary: Provides 1 million dollars to create a plan to declare state jurisdiction of occupational safety and health for both government and private employees. This is only an act for a plan to be developed and provide to the head of the Senate and speaker of the House.
How TO engage with legislators
Developing a Relationship With Your Legislators
• Sign up at www.standforhealthfreedom.com as a first step. This portal can be used as an amplification tool when we need to alert legislators of certain bills and allows your voice to be heard in a single pane for easy and quick engagement with your legislators.
• Know who your representatives (house) and senator (senate) are. Visit https://www.flsenate.gov/ and https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/ and create a login and password. These portals allow you to view current legislation and opportunity to "track" legislators and also bills.
• Save their websites and phone numbers on your phone.
• Sign up for their emails and follow them on social media. Be respectful on social media. The last thing anyone is going to do is speak with someone who has called names or been openly critical of their work.
• Get to know their office staff. Be kind to them. I have gotten their staff members to give me "secrets" by smoothing them and creating relationships just with their staff.
• PAY ATTENTION to what they are doing. Know about them, the committees they are on, and what seems important to them. Their events, their town halls, legislation they are sponsoring, and co-sponsoring. This is up to each of you to know what is going on within your district. One person or group cannot keep up with what each state legislator is up to. There are literally over 250+ of them between senators and representatives, let alone what our regulatory agencies are doing. This is TRULY what is meant by we are "in this together".
• Always go as yourself, a concerned citizen/constituent. We do not want to go as any type of group. It is easy to dismiss someone if they do not like the group - this could be for a variety of reasons as to why someone does or does not like a particular group or organization.
• Research everything you can about your state senator and representative. This is an important component in developing a solid relationship with them. Try to find something in common with them, it will help to develop good rapport and build a level of trust before engaging in conversation. Find a way to connect with them by complimenting their work and finding a genuine way of connecting with them. Remember that they are people too! They like being noticed and acknowledged for their work.
• You are about to speak to them about a controversial topic - asking them to receive a message they may not be ready to hear yet as health choice can be a difficult topic to discuss.
• Never underestimate the power of planting a seed. Your time and effort will pay off!
• Be prepared - bring documentation, studies, create notes and talking points to help keep the conversation on track. Bring examples not hypotheticals, this will provide them evidence of the issue. Put it back onto them. What are they going to do about the problem you are coming to them about? Ask questions that you don't expect them to answer that day... Leave them thinking. THIS IS IMPORTANT (UNFORTUNATELY) - make it about money. An example of this is "How will Florida be able to balance a budget when you are looking at a cost of _________? No matter what committee or cause a legislator takes on any topic... they ALWAYS need to be aware of "balancing a budget and paying for things in our state".
• Know that you may not be able to change their mind at all-because they (just like most people) have been programmed to believe something completely different than the message you are bringing them. It is a lot to process as a person and a politician but leaves them wondering about a potential problem they will have to solve in the future, a question they cannot simply answer but they need to find a solution to because it will affect them AND our state's future.
• This topic is incredibly difficult for "normal" people. Just like others in all aspects of life, people have concerns that this could affect their personal and professional lives. Another important aspect to keep in mind is that they may have to accept or have to come to terms with the fact that they may have been "duped" by the system they have so much trust in - they ALSO may have put their child's life at risk by participating in the v@((ine program. That is a VERY difficult pill to swallow for ANYONE. You may also be surprised that they had known someone who has experienced negative consequences as well. Be bold and be brave on this topic.
• Regardless of how your meeting goes, its always better to take the high road, be better than all and always end it, even if you have a difference, with respect. Their respect for you as a constituent and our respect for their public service. Oh, and please NEVER tell any politician that they "work for you". While that is true, it is disrespectful and a sure way for them to completely shut down and never receive any message you are trying to deliver to them.
• Write them a "Thank You" note.
• Continue to engage, support, and follow up with them and ask them what you can do for them. This is a RELATIONSHIP. With joint agreement on their representation for your issues. We cannot keep taking from them and their time without giving something back to them. Volunteering time for their campaign is something that you can offer up when it is time for them to start that process. Collecting signatures on petitions to get on the ballot, door knocking, delivering campaign signs, and helping their campaign at the polls on election days are examples of helping out and "returning a favor” or of course, financial donations.
• This is not a one-time deal, this your duty. Staying on top of what is happening in your district and state is our Constitutional responsibility to our country and families. If 2020 has shown us anything, it is that we will never be asleep again as to what is happening in our own districts, our state, and our country.
• Get involved on a county level by getting involved and volunteering on your county's political committee. Run for city/town council, school board, etc.
• This is a phenomenal time within our movement and we should capitalize on the ability to educate them!