Tennessee legislature to pass religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccination as vaccine rollout plummets: The Tennessean
Editor's note: this story has been updated to clarify how the bill would apply to hospitals. A Tennessee proposal prohibiting the government from mandating COVID-19 vaccination and allowing religious exemptions cleared the Senate 20-8 Thursday, despite concerns the bill could lead to heightened vaccine hesitancy. The House passed the same measure 72-20 last week. The bill is expected to head to Gov. Bill Lee's desk after the House goes through a procedural move to have its version match the Senate. The proposal would prohibit state and local authorities from mandating the COVID-19 vaccine, although no governments in Tennessee have signaled desire for a mandate. It would also allow people to waive the vaccine out of religious beliefs or "by rights of conscience" even during a pandemic. The legislation would not apply to students at public universities and colleges studying in the medical and health care field, or students at any health care facilities. The bill also ...