Illinois | November 10, 2021
Illinois amends religious freedom law to prevent people from skirting vaccine mandates
Illinois | November 10, 2021
The governor of Illinois has signed a new law designed to prevent people from using a decades-old religious liberty law to avoid complying with coronavirus vaccine mandates.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1169 into law Monday to clarify that the state’s Health Care Right of Conscience Act can’t be used to challenge coronavirus vaccination requirements or other actions taken by employers or businesses to “prevent contraction or transmission of COVID-19.”
In a statement, the Democrat indicated that the measure, which takes effect June 1, is designed to ensure that the law “cannot be abused or misinterpreted to jeopardize workplace safety.”
Pritzker described “masks, vaccines, and testing requirements” as “lifesaving measures that keep our workplaces and communities safe.” He praised the General Assembly for “ensuring that the Health Care Right of Conscience Act is no longer wrongly used against institutions who are putting safety and science first.” … (Excerpts from the Christian Post)
Illinois | October 20, 2021
21 Chicago Officers Placed on No-Pay Leave For Defying City’s Vaccine Reporting Mandate
Illinois | October 20, 2021
Twenty-one officers with the Chicago Police Department have been placed on no-pay leave for refusing to disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status, as required by a city mandate, according to an official.
Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown confirmed the figure during a press conference on Tuesday, a day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that a “very small number” of officers had been put on no-pay status for refusing to comply with the mandate after being given several opportunities to do so.
Brown told reporters that 67.7 percent of the department’s 12,770 employees had so far complied with a city requirement to report their COVID-19 vaccination status. The department has the lowest compliance rate with the city’s mandate of any city department, the Chicago Sun Times reported…. (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)