OKLAHOMA CITY – A group of House members last Friday sent a letter to Gov. Kevin Stitt requesting executive action to prohibit vaccine mandates for Oklahoma healthcare workers. This comes in response to constituent concerns about healthcare institutions across Oklahoma requiring employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition of continued employment.

“This issue requires the immediate attention of our state government,” said Rep. Sean Roberts, R-Hominy, author of the letter. “These employees are the heroes that stood on the front line of the pandemic caring for those that had fallen ill to COVID-19. The quickest and most effective way to protect these workers is an executive order prohibiting these mandates.”

The following lawmakers signed on to the letter:

• Rep. Sean Roberts, R-Hominy
• Rep. Lonnie Sims, R-Jenks
• Rep. Steve Bashore, R-Miami
• Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont
• Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene
• Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane
• Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland
• Rep. Mark Vancuren, R-Owasso
• Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore
• Rep. Rick West, R-Heavener
• Rep. David Smith, R-Arpelar
• Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola
• Rep. Wendi Stearman, R-Collinsville
• Rep. Chris Sneed, R-Fort Gibson
• Rep. Randy Randleman, R-Eufaula
• Rep. Kevin McDugle, R-Broken Arrow
• Rep. David Hardin, R-Stilwell
• Rep. Sherri Conley, R-Newcastle
• Rep. Marilyn Stark, R-Bethany
• Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole

The full text of the letter can be seen below:

Oklahoma House of Representatives

July 15, 2021

Governor J. Kevin Stitt,

As I am sure you are aware there are many healthcare facilities across the state that have decided to mandate the COVID-19 vaccines to their thousands of employees. These employees are the heroes that stood on the front line of the pandemic caring for those that had fallen ill to COVID-19.

Many Oklahomans are about to have their paychecks used against them to make a medical decision that goes against their beliefs. Healthcare workers are left to choose between taking a vaccine authorized for emergency use or risk losing their job, this goes against “liberty and justice for all”. If we do not protect the individual’s right to choose what goes in their body, we no longer live in a free society.

The Oklahoma legislature had bills introduced last session that were related to these type of vaccine mandates, but none of these bills came to be law. Some other states in the country have taken action on these issues while others already had laws on the book to protect their healthcare workers. For example in Oregon, employees such as health care providers, health care facility employees, clinical lab employees, law enforcement, and firefighters are protected by a 1989 state law that says “A worker shall not be required as a condition of work to be immunized” unless otherwise required by federal or state law.

After talking with healthcare workers and citizens across the state many of my colleagues and I have come to the conclusion this is an issue that requires the immediate attention of our State Government. The quickest and most effective way to protect these workers is an executive order prohibiting these mandates.

Those signed onto this letter and I respectfully request you draft an executive order to deal with this issue. If you deem this to be an issue the legislature needs to take care of, we respectfully request you call the legislature into special session to end medical tyranny and help us secure and protect our most basic human rights and civil liberties.