Lord, protect the freedom we still experience in our nation today. Please heal our land and give us wisdom of how to move forward.

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The governor of Kansas has said she intends to sign a measure that will force businesses that require COVID-19 vaccination to give broad exceptions to workers who don’t want to get the vaccine.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, said in a one-sentence Nov. 22 statement that she will sign the legislation “when it reaches my desk.”

Derek Schmidt, Kansas attorney general and a Republican, also said he would sign it if he were governor. Schmidt is challenging Kelly in the Kansas gubernatorial race.

The Republican-controlled state House of Representatives and state Senate approved House Bill 2001 earlier on Nov. 22 during a special session. The Senate vote was 24–11 and the House vote was 78–41. . . .

Any workers punished or terminated due to violation of the law would be able to file a complaint with state officials, who would be mandated to investigate each complaint and issue an order on each case within 60 calendar days.

An employer who is found to have violated the law would face civil action in a bid to fine them up to $10,000 per violation if they have fewer than 100 employees or up to $50,000 per violation if they have 100 or more employees. . . .

Another major component of the legislation requires that workers who get laid off due to vaccination requirements be eligible for unemployment benefits. . . .

The legislation prevents President Joe Biden “from forcing businesses into the position of playing God or doctor,” he said.

Masterson appeared to be referring to the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates against businesses and federal contractors.

The business mandate is on hold after a flurry of legal challenges, while the deadline for the contractor mandate was recently pushed back to Jan. 4, 2022.

Biden administration officials have said the mandates are aimed at keeping people safe, though studies show that the COVID-19 vaccines have limited effectiveness in terms of blocking transmission. . . .

Rep. Linda Featherstone, a Democrat, was one of the lawmakers who voted against HB 2001. . . .

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(Excerpt from The Epoch Times. Photo by Getty Images.)