S. 3079 — Introduced in Senate

II 117th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 3079 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES October 26, 2021Mrs. Blackburn (for herself, Mr. Inhofe, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Braun, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Tuberville, and Mr. Marshall) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To exempt essential workers from Federal COVID–19 vaccine mandates. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Keeping Our COVID–19 Heroes Employed Act. 2. Exemption from vaccine mandates (a) In general Any requirement imposed by an entity described in subsection (b) that individuals be vaccinated against COVID–19 shall provide for an exemption from such requirement for all essential workers. (b) Entities described An entity described in this subsection is any of the following: (1) The Federal Government. (2) A public or private Federal contractor. (3) A private entity receiving Federal funds. (4) A public entity receiving funding under the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116–123), the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Public Law 116–127), the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (Public Law 116–136), the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (Public Law 116–139), division M or N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260), or the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117–2), as a condition for retaining such funds or receiving future disbursements of such funds. (c) Essential workers defined For purposes of this section, the term essential worker means an individual— (1) whom a relevant State, Indian Tribe, or territory deemed essential during the response to the COVID–19 pandemic; or (2) who was exempt from any restrictions in response to the COVID–19 pandemic imposed by a relevant State, Indian Tribe, or territory.