Iowa governor Kim Reynolds (R) signed a bill into law on Friday that allows Iowa workers who were fired for refusing to get vaccinated to qualify for unemployment benefits, the Associated Press reports.
The Iowa Legislature passed the bill in a one-day special session Thursday with a 68-27 vote. Reynolds signed the bill one day later, saying in a statement “no Iowan should be forced to lose their job or livelihood over the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Reynolds, who is vaccinated said she believes the vaccine is the best defense against COVID-19. However, getting the shot should be a personal choice.
55 percent of Iowans eligible for the vaccine are fully vaccinated, and about a third of the state’s population still has not received at least one dose of vaccine, AP noted.
Reynolds has opposed government requirements for masks and vaccines in the past even though the virus killed nearly 7,000 Iowans. She plans to sue the Biden administration over its vaccine requirement for workers, the Des Moines Register reported.
