Bill Text: AZ SB1407 | 2024 | Fifty-sixth Legislature 2nd Regular | Engrossed

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Bill Title: Employers; vaccines; religious exemption

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 5-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2024-03-19 - House minority caucus: Do pass [SB1407 Detail]

Download: Arizona-2024-SB1407-Engrossed.html

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Senate Engrossed

 

employers; vaccines; religious exemption

 

 

 

 

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-sixth Legislature

Second Regular Session

2024

 

 

 

SENATE BILL 1407

 

 

 

 

An Act

 

amending section 23-206, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to vaccinations.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 23-206, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE23-206. Employers; accommodations required vaccinations; religious exemption; form; definitions

A. If an employer receives notice from an employee that the employee's sincerely held religious beliefs, practices or observances prevent the employee from taking the COVID-19 vaccination, influenza A or B vaccination or flu vaccination or any vaccination authorized by the United States food and drug administration for emergency use only, the employer shall provide a reasonable accommodation unless the accommodation would pose an undue hardship and more than a de minimus cost to the operation of the employer's business.

B. An employer may not:

1. Inquire into the veracity of an employee's religious beliefs, practices or observances to the extent beyond what is allowed under federal law.

2. Discriminate against an employee regarding employment, wages or benefits based on the employee's vaccination status.

C. An employer shall allow an employee to request a religious exemption from the covid-19 vaccination, influenza A or B vaccination or flu vaccination mandate or any mandate for a vaccination authorized by the United States food and drug administration only for emergency use by using a form that meets the following minimum requirements:

Religious exemption from COVID-19 vaccination,

influenza A or B vaccination, flu Vaccination or

vaccination authorized by the United States food

and drug administration for emergency use only

Employee name     __________________________________

Date of birth     __________________________________

telePhone number  __________________________________

Employer name     __________________________________

Exemption statement:

Pursuant to section 23-206, Arizona Revised Statutes, I hereby declare that I am requesting an exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination, influenza A or B vaccination, flu vaccination or vaccination authorized by the United States food and drug administration for emergency use only because of my sincerely held religious beliefs.

employee statement of sincerely held religious beliefs ______________________

Employee statement of conflict between religious beliefs and vaccine ____________

Requested accommodation and alternative accommodations _______________________

I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing INFORMATION is true and correct.

Employee signature    _______________________________

Date                  _______________________________

Employee name (print) _______________________________

NOTE: An employer may not inquire into the veracity of the employee's sincerely held religious beliefs, practices or observances to the extent beyond what is allowed under federal law. 

D. Any employer that receives a request for a religious exemption pursuant to this section shall keep the request and its contents confidential and may not share them within that organization except to the extent necessary to process the request for exemption, accommodation or other operational necessity.  Employers may create a database of religious exemption requests for internal use only unless otherwise required by law. 

E. For the purposes of this section:

1. "COVID-19" means:

(a) The novel coronavirus identified as SARS-COV-2.

(b) Any disease caused by SARS-COV-2, its viral fragments or a virus mutating therefrom.

(c) All conditions associated with the disease that are caused by SARS-COV-2, its viral fragments or a virus mutating therefrom.

2. "Sincerely held religious beliefs, practices or observances" includes a sincerely held moral or ethical belief. END_STATUTE