“Bill to End COVID Vaccine Mandates in Colleges Leaves Out Vital Group”

Read the full bill here: BillCam: VOTE on HB 3044 No Vaccine Mandates in Higher Education Act.

A national advocacy group is urging lawmakers to amend legislation aimed at ending COVID-19 vaccine mandates in higher education, warning that loopholes still allow health sciences students to be forced into vaccination.

The group, No College Mandates, has taken aim at the No Vaccine Mandates in Higher Education Act, introduced in April by Rep. Mark Messmer (R-Ind.). While the bill would codify President Trump’s executive order defunding colleges that require COVID shots, it does not explicitly cover students in healthcare-related programs—leaving many vulnerable to ongoing mandates.

Despite Trump’s February 2024 order halting federal funding to schools that continue to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine, many health science programs and partner clinics still require the shot for students pursuing degrees in fields like nursing, medicine, and dental hygiene. This is due to the order’s vague language and lack of guidance regarding clinical rotations and hospital-based training programs.

Lucia Sinatra, co-founder of No College Mandates, says the bill is a step in the right direction but fails to close critical gaps that affect students pursuing healthcare careers.

“Since the spring of 2021, health science students have faced some of the most oppressive and tyrannical of all COVID-19 vaccine policies,” Sinatra told The Defender. “For far too long, health science students have been overlooked in the quest to end college student COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and that needs to end.”

According to No College Mandates, programs like the MD track at Emory School of Medicine and all health sciences majors at Creighton University still require students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine—while faculty are often exempt.

The group argues that true reform must include all degree-granting programs affiliated with colleges and universities, including hospitals and clinical training partners. Without such amendments, the bill fails to completely eliminate COVID-19 vaccine mandates in higher education.

In a letter sent to the bill’s co-sponsors, the organization wrote:

“For the bill to definitively end ALL COVID-19 vaccine mandates in higher education, it must be amended to explicitly include ALL teaching programs required for health science students to complete their degree.”

The organization has received encouraging responses from some legislators and is now calling on the public to act. No College Mandates is urging citizens to contact their representatives using a pre-written letter on its website, with room to personalize the message.

“It is urgent that we get more support around our proposed amendments,” Sinatra said. “Together, we can make a huge difference if we let the representatives know the critical nature of our proposed amendments prior to the bill becoming law.”

As of July, the bill has eight co-sponsors and is awaiting markup in committee.

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